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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26709046">Percy Jackson and the Will of D Part 2: The New World</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/willoffire123/pseuds/willoffire123'>willoffire123</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson as a Strawhat [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Piece, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Adventure, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Luffy and Zoro belong together, M/M, Nami is a demigod, Percy Jackson is a Mess</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:47:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>27,339</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26709046</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/willoffire123/pseuds/willoffire123</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Giant and Marineford Wars are over. Now what? With the help of his crew, Percy must brave the New World to find his friends. Will he find them before the Navy does? Or will the Navy find him first? This is a continuation of Percy Jackson and the Will of D.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Franky/Nico Robin, Monkey D. Luffy/Roronoa Zoro, Nami/Vinsmoke Sanji</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson as a Strawhat [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1933531</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>“You did WHAT while I was asleep?” asked Percy, completely aghast.</p><p>“Declared war on Big Mom,” said Sanji, “It’s Luffy; what did you expect?”</p><p>Percy, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Nami were enjoying a stroll through the town while the others prepared the ship for departure. Everywhere they went, townsfolk would stop and wave. The bolder fishmen and merfolk kept approaching Percy and bowing for him; it was making Percy very uncomfortable.</p><p>Zoro and Sanji found this hilarious.</p><p>“Stop!” Percy whined as he politely sidestepped a pink fishwoman and glared at Zoro and Sanji, the latter two in absolute stitches, “It’s not funny!”</p><p>“It is a little funny,” Nami admitted, “Besides, aren’t you already royalty? Now everyone acts like it too.”</p><p>“I never expected to live past 16,” Percy murmured.</p><p>Nami’s ears perked up, “Why?”<br/>“Because the Fates prophesized that I’d die a horrible death on my 16<sup>th</sup> birthday to end the 2<sup>nd</sup> Titan War,” said Percy.</p><p>Sanji blanched, “That’s intense.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Percy agreed, “Which is why I haven’t had a whole lot of time to think about my heritage, or my life beyond questing.”</p><p>“Let’s change that,” Luffy said seriously, “It’s time you got to think about what you want in life.”</p><p>Percy smiled, and this time, it was genuine, “Ok, Captain.”</p><p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>The Strawhat Pirates had the most spectacular send-off to the New World that Fishman Island could come up with, and for once, most of it wasn’t about Luffy.</p><p>“Lord Perseus-sama!”</p><p>“Come back soon, Lord Perseus!”</p><p>“AAAH HE’S SO DREAMY!”</p><p>“Why am I so unlucky?” Sanji moped, slouching against Percy’s shoulder, “Why can’t I be a demigod and have mermaid babes falling at my feet?”</p><p>
  <em>They ran for days. Every time they tried slowing down, they would hear the baying calls of Arachne, hot on their tail. Every breath and step that Percy took was pure torture, but they had to keep going or the mother spider would catch them and rip out their hearts, as she’d grown fond of shouting at them.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Percy!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Annabeth tripped and Arachne pounced. Percy watched in horror as Arachne tore his girlfriend to shreds-her screams mingling with his in the poisonous, sulfurous air.</em>
</p><p>“Percy!” Sanji squeezed his hand hard enough to draw blood, effectively bringing Percy back to the present, “What the hell, man? You zoned out on me.”</p><p>“It’s not that great,” Percy reassured his friend shakily. He hoped his voice wasn’t trembling too hard, “Really. The nightmares aren’t worth it.”</p><p>“But the babes!” Sanji noodled as Shirahoshi picked up her brother. Percy had grown used to Shirahoshi deciding on a whim that she wanted to hold him; it still did terrible things to his ego, though.</p><p>“Do you and Luffy have to go already, Percy-nii?” Shirahoshi wailed, “It feels like you just got back, and now you’re leaving again!”</p><p>“There, there,” Percy patted the palm of Shirahoshi’s hand, “You knew from the beginning that I was never meant to stay here. I have to go find Annabeth.”</p><p>This did absolutely nothing to console Shirahoshi, so Percy gestured at Luffy to trade places with him.</p><p>“Nami, my dear, your mother is very proud of you,” Poseidon told Nami, “She promises to try and see you again soon.”</p><p>“And why can’t she?” Nami asked Poseidon moreso out of curiousity than frustration, “You’re here, aren’t you?”</p><p>“Barely,” said Poseidon, a frown crinkling his leathery brow, “It is hard to exist here. But now that Piper is somewhere on the Grand Line, Aphrodite is very eager for you to find her.”</p><p>“I will,” said Nami, determined, “I’ll make sure Piper and the others are ok.”</p><p>“Let’s go, guys!” called Franky.</p><p>Percy’s brothers surrounded him, blocking his path to the ship.</p><p>“You weren’t going to leave without saying goodbye, little brother?” Fukaboshi joked, ruffling Percy’s hair.</p><p>“No,” Percy grinned, “I’m gonna miss you guys.”</p><p>At this, Mamboshi burst into tears and threw himself onto Percy, “Percy!”</p><p>“Mamboshi,” Percy laughed, “C’mon, man, you’ll give Shirahoshi a run for her money. Woah!”</p><p>Ryuboshi wrapped his arms around Mamboshi, Fukaboshi and Percy and pulled them all into a hug, “Group hug Mi-Fa-So! You must practice your vocal warmups in my absence, Percy Do-Ray-Mi!”</p><p>Percy was a terrible singer, but he’d never had the heart to tell Ryuboshi that. Whenever Ryuboshi cornered him in the palace, demanding to give him a singing lesson, Percy had always found some excuse to leave, promising to do his vocal exercises instead.</p><p>Shiraboshi burst out crying again and scooped up her brothers in her hands, “Brothers!”</p><p>Percy laughed. He was glad he’d gotten to spend this time with his extended family; they were truly kind merfolk. Percy knew they’d kick butt at defending Fishman Island once he left.</p><p>“Ok, children, it is time for Percy to go,” Poseidon gently nudged Shirahoshi.</p><p>Shirahoshi lowered her hands to the deck of the Sunny and Percy hopped off.</p><p>“Strawhats!” Poseidon boomed, “I can never thank you enough for the help you’ve given this island.”</p><p>A funnel cloud appeared, and Poseidon grew into Neptune, “As you journey to the New World, I hope that you take in your hearts that you will always have allies and friends here, on Fishman Island, jamon.”</p><p>The funnel cloud reappeared, and Neptune shrank into Poseidon, landing on the deck of the Sunny next to Percy.</p><p>“The resemblance really is uncanny,” Brook noted, Chopper nodding vigorously.</p><p>“Now then,” said Poseidon, “As thanks for befriending my son and saving this island, I’m giving all of you my blessing.”</p><p>The Strawhats waited.</p><p>“I don’t feel any different,” said Usopp, “Aren’t we supposed to be all glowy and super powered now?”<br/>“That’s not how that works,” Percy said blandly.</p><p>“Then how does it work?” Chopper asked the two Strawhat demigods, who gave Chopper identical shrugs.</p><p>“You’ll know when the time comes,” Poseidon assured them.</p><p>“Would you stop being so cryptic?” Percy whined.</p><p>Poseidon let out a booming, infectious laugh. Soon enough, everyone else was laughing too.</p><p>“That’s part of the fun!” Poseidon said gleefully, “Now, off you go. To the New World!”</p><p>“Not so fast,” said the Minister of the Left, handing Nami a small, wooden bracelet, “I’m giving you this new log pose because it frightened me to think of you in the New World with a log pose with only one needle.”</p><p>“Why?” asked Nami, putting on the bracelet.</p><p>“The magnetic waves of the islands in the New World are harder to navigate,” the Minister of the Left explained, “With three needles, there will be three possible paths. That way, you can determine which way is safest. If the needle is moving quickly, that means the island it is pointing to is more dangerous.”</p><p>Like a snake, Luffy coiled his neck around Nami’s torso, “Oooh, that’s where the party is, right? Let’s go there!”</p><p>“WE’RE GONNA DIE!”</p><p>“Bye Jinbe!” Percy waved as the Sunny sailed away, “Thank you for all your help!”</p><p>“Take care, Lord Percy,” Jinbe said warmly, “We’ll meet again soon, in the New World!”</p><p>“I promise I won’t be such a crybaby the next time we meet,” Shirahoshi promised Luffy, “I want to meet you in a real forest, Luffy! On the surface world!”</p><p>“Sure!” Luffy laughed, “I promise!”</p><p>“We promise too!” said the rest of the Strawhats, “We won’t let you down!”</p><p>“You heard them,” Percy told his sister, “You don’t have to cry anymore.”</p><p>“Right!” and she planted one last kiss on her brother’s head before swimming back to the shore where the rest of her family was waiting.</p><p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>“Shouldn’t you be doing something?”</p><p>Percy crooked an eye open from his nice, comfy spot on the grassy lawn, “Usopp, do you have any idea how exhausting it is to swim from the sea floor to the surface?”</p><p>Usopp looked taken aback, “Well, of course not.”</p><p>Percy got up in Usopp’s pointed nose, “You’re from the East Blue, right? Try swimming around your entire island at least 10 times. I don’t care how big your island is.”</p><p>Usopp gulped, “Right.”</p><p>“I did that to help you guys get to Fishman Island,” said Percy, returning to his napping spot, “Unless it’s an emergency, I’m staying put and enjoying the ride.”</p><p>“Sounds good,” said Sanji, “I’m gonna go make something. What are you in the mood for, Percy?”</p><p>Percy looked wearily at Sanji. He’d seen that look on enough of his father’s personal chefs on Fishman Island. It was the look that said <em>that boy is too skinny; I can fatten him up.</em></p><p>Percy’s appetite was nowhere near what it once was, but he still appreciated the effort.</p><p>“Blue ice cream?” Percy asked hopefully.</p><p>“Say no more,” said Sanji, heading off for the kitchen.</p><p>“He’s not even showing off for Nami and Robin,” Chopper whistled, “Maybe he is cured.”</p><p>“Where are they, anyway?” asked Franky.</p><p>“They had something they wanted to tell Luffy,” said Percy, “I think it’s about a vision Nami had awhile ago.”</p><p>…meanwhile…</p><p>“You sure you want Zoro here?” asked Nami.</p><p>Luffy and Zoro shared a look.</p><p>“Zoro stays,” Luffy decided, “So, what did you want to tell me?”</p><p>Nami sat down across from Luffy, “I had a vision of Ace.”</p><p>Luffy went deadly pale, bracing himself against Zoro, “O-of Ace?”</p><p>Nami nodded, “Yeah, in Elysium. Ace is a Roman legacy of the messenger God, Mercury. He wanted me to pass on a message. Your brother Sabo is still alive.”</p><p>Luffy shot to his feet, looking angry, “Nami, how could you joke about something like that?”</p><p>A gentle hand from Zoro pushed Luffy back into his chair.</p><p>“I can confirm it’s true,” said Robin, “Sabo is a Revolutionary; I trained with him and your father for two years.”</p><p>Angry tears pricked in Luffy’s eyes, “And you didn’t think to tell me?”<br/>“I am sorry I kept this from you,” Robin apologized sincerely, “We haven’t been alone since we reunited; I thought this news would best be received in private. Then Nami told me about her vision…”</p><p>“What’s done is done,” Zoro said calmly, “Sabo is alive. What do you want to do?”</p><p>“Is-,” Luffy sounded more vulnerable than Robin had ever heard him before, “Is he happy?”</p><p>“He’d be happier if he got to see you,” said Robin, “Ace’s death is what brought his memory back. But yes, he is happy with the Revolutionaries.”</p><p>Luffy stood, “Then if it’s meant to be, I’ll see Sabo again. For now, we have a New World to explore.”</p><p>The Strawhats returned to the deck to find Usopp, Chopper, Franky, Brook and Sanji yelling like mad, and a giant whirlpool right next to the ship.</p><p>“AAAH!” said Nami, “WE’RE GONNA GET SUCKED IN!”</p><p>“I’m working on it!” Percy grunted from outside the ship, “I should be able to pull us out of this, but the sea monster is pulling us down.”</p><p>“Sea Monster?” said Robin, bewildered.</p><p>Sure enough, a massive, unconscious sea monster, attached to a line coming from the Sunny, was in the process of disappearing into the whirlpool.</p><p>“Cut it loose!” Nami hollered.</p><p>“What?” Sanji, Zoro, Luffy, Usopp and Chopper whined, “We wanna eat sea monster.”</p><p>“THAT’S NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW!” Nami and Percy snapped.</p><p>Too late, the Sunny was sucked into the Whitestrom, Percy clinging for dear life to the side.</p><p>“DO something, Percy!” Usopp shrieked.</p><p>“I am literally holding the ship together with my mind!” Percy screamed, “But let me think of something!”</p><p>Then, the Sunny bounced out of the Whitestrom.</p><p>
  <em>“My Lord!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“We will pull you as far away as possible, my Lord.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Please help the skeletal one, my Lord. He seems distressed.”</em>
</p><p>“Laboon!” Brook sobbed.</p><p>Percy flinched. If he’d known that the pod of whales he’d summoned would cause such an extreme flashback for Brook, he would’ve tried for a different sea creature, but the whales had been so close.</p><p>“We didn’t come here for whale watching!” Sanji hollered as Percy slipped back into the bubble and onto the deck, “We just escaped a giant whirlpool. I’m gonna take role. Nami?”<br/>“Here,” said Nami, amused.</p><p>“Robin!”</p><p>“Over here,” Robin drawled.</p><p>“Great!” said Sanji, “Nami, what do you want us to do?”</p><p>“Sanji! The rest of us are still alive too!” Chopper and Usopp cried.</p><p>“Let’s not do anything,” said Nami.</p><p>“You heard the lady!” Sanji cheered, “You idiots keep doing nothing.”</p><p>“Way ahead of you,” said Percy, stretching back out on the deck, “Now, where’s my ice cream?”</p><p>“Do any of you know Laboon!” Brook cried, “Maybe I can play you a song?”</p><p>Brook began to play Bink’s Brew.</p><p>“They want you to know they like it,” Percy reassured his skeletal friend, “And that we’re almost there.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Percy doesn't like fire</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>P.E.R.C.Y. J.A.C.K.S.O.N.</p><p>“I am NOT going there.”</p><p>The New World really hadn’t been that bad so far. Percy had discovered pretty quickly that all Devil Fruit Users were pretty useless once you threw them into the sea. The monsters weren’t so bad either. With Nami’s help, along with the rest of the crew (who, thanks to Brook, could all now see through the Mist), the monsters proved to be no more than speed bumps. He was actually having fun.</p><p>Until they found the burning sea surrounding an island called Punk Hazard.</p><p>“Percy, you have to draw a straw,” said Franky, “Nami said so.”</p><p>Percy took a step backwards, “No way, the sea is on <em>fire. </em>My entire life is based on signs. This is a big, fat, firey one. I’m. not. going.”</p><p>“Fine, you big baby,” Nami snapped, “Everyone else, draw straws.”</p><p>Luffy threw himself into Zoro’s arms, “You got a red straw! This is gonna be so romantic!”</p><p>“Your definition of romantic needs work,” Usopp moaned, clutching his red straw dejectedly.</p><p>Franky pecked Robin on the cheek, “You’ll be ok?”</p><p>“Of course,” Robin said cheerfully, “I’ll see you when I get back.”</p><p>“If you and the shitty rubber idiot do anything to offend Robin-chan’s delicate sensibilities, I’ll toss you into the fire myself,” Sanji threatened Zoro, “Hey! I’m talking to you moss head!”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” Zoro waved him off, already walking off with Luffy, hand in hand.</p><p>“You gotta admit, they are pretty cute,” Nami whispered in Percy’s ear.</p><p>Percy rollled his eyes, “You are such an Aphrodite kid. Now are you gonna help them or not?”</p><p>“SOMEBODY TRADE WITH ME!” Usopp wailed.</p><p>
  <em>Milkey Road!</em>
</p><p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>Best. Vacation. EVER.</p><p>Sure, it was soooo hot and the dragon kept blowing fire, but Luffy got to fight next to Zoro, and that was enough for him.</p><p>And Usopp and Robin were there too!</p><p>But seriously, the dragon was SO awesome! It was at least twice the size of the Sunny, with beady red eyes, a scaly underbelly and claws and fangs sharp enough to cut steel.</p><p>Best of all, the dragon could TALK!</p><p>“This isn’t a God thing, is it?” Usopp asked Robin.</p><p>“Not that I know of,” Robin said lightly.</p><p>Meanwhile Luffy and Zoro zoomed around the dragon, looking for the source of the voice. Zoro would meet the Dragon’s gaping maw with his swords before backing off again, giving Luffy an opening to attack.</p><p>“Damn it,” Zoro cursed, “This is one stubborn lizard. Let me cut it up, Luffy.”</p><p>“Sure,” said Luffy, “But let me bring it to you!”</p><p>Luffy rocketed himself onto the Dragon’s back, noticing a pair of legs stuck in the dragon, “That’s weird. Let’er rip, Zoro!”</p><p>Using Usopp’s weird trampoline plant, Zoro sprung into the sky and cut off the dragon’s head.</p><p>
  <em>Cien Fleur!</em>
</p><p>Luffy giggled as Robin caught him and Zoro in her hands, “That was pretty fun!”</p><p>Zoro slung an arm around Luffy’s shoulder, “Let’s go find more dragons to kill.”</p><p>“Hang on you guys,” said Usopp, “You can go have your psychotic date night later; first, you gotta explain what that thing is.”</p><p>No one knew what to make of the talking torso.</p><p>“Bu! Let me go, bu!”</p><p>“Zoro, what do you think?” Luffy grinned, showing off his new centaur legs.</p><p>Zoro face palmed, “I plead the fifth.”<br/>Robin giggled, “Could you tell us about the Warlord you mentioned, Mr. Legs-san?”</p><p>At first they’d thought that Luffy had ripped the guy in half. Upon further inspection, they discovered that the man had been cut up by a devil fruit and the pieces of his body scattered around the island.</p><p>“His name is Trafalgar Law,” said the legs.</p><p>“Luffy,” Zoro said urgently.</p><p>“I know,” said Luffy.</p><p>“Stop DOING that!” Usopp ordered, “What is going on with you two?”</p><p>“We’ll explain more when we’re with the others,” said Zoro, “Law approached us with an offer on Sabaody two years ago.”</p><p>“This cooked dragon is good,” said Luffy, “Maybe Law wants some? Let’s go ask him!”</p><p>“What in the Hades did you do to my dragon?”</p><p>Zoro whipped around, swords at the ready, “Who’s there?”</p><p>“Hades?” Robin mused, “I wonder…”</p><p>Out of the fire emerged a scrawny, olive-skinned, curly-haired boy.</p><p>Luffy’s eyes were shining, “Wow, you’re fire proof? You should join my crew! I’m gonna be King of the Pirates?”</p><p>The boy cocked his head to the side, “Now where have I heard that before?”</p><p>His dark, manic eyes gleamed in recognition, “Hephaestus’s underpants! You’re Percy’s friends! I’ve been looking for you! My name is Leo Valdez.”</p><p>P.E.R.C.Y. J.A.C.K.S.O.N.</p><p>Percy hated the heat.</p><p>In hind sight, he guessed that his mom took him to Montauk whenever she could in order to get away from the heat. Summers in New York were pretty bad; they always left him lethargic and slightly nauseous whenever he was on dry land. Those summers had nothing on the weather now; Percy felt like he was melting into the deck (which, considering his powers, was most likely not an exaggeration), never to reform into a human again.</p><p>True, the heat reminded him way too much of Tartarus, but it was more than that; the heat was his opposite; Percy wasn’t built to last in the heat.</p><p>So slumped against Chopper in a pale, sweaty mass on the deck, Percy thought he could be forgiven for not noticing the sleeping gas in time.</p><p>It knocked out the others immediately. Percy and Nami stumbled around, disoriented as enemies climbed aboard the ship that reminded Percy of something…he just couldn’t think of what.</p><p>“We have to escape,” Percy told Nami, staggering towards the railing, “Into the sea.”</p><p>Nami tripped and hit the deck, out cold.</p><p>“Interesting,” said one of the assailants, “This one is still conscious.”</p><p>Percy’s observation haki told him of a hand coming at his head, but he was too sluggish to move.</p><p>“No matter,” said another assailant, catching Percy as he fell, “No one will miss him, or the others.”</p><p>“Gotta do something,” Percy slurred. He felt a tugging in his gut before the now all-too familiar sensation of turning into water.</p><p>“Gah!”</p><p>“Where’d he go?”</p><p>“That was probably a clone. Fan out and search for the real one.”</p><p>While the weird-looking enemies searched the ship, Percy slipped, unnoticed into the burning sea.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the Strawhats run into another familiar face</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>“So to summarize,” said Robin, “You are a demigod son of Hephaestus. You died during the Giants War and brought yourself back to life with something called the Physician’s Cure. You returned to the legendary island Ogygia to rescue your girlfriend, the immortal, Calypso, and after months of travel, decided to come and find your friends while Calypso familiarized herself with the modern world.”</p><p>Leo Valdez ripped off a bite of dragon meat and chewed thoughtfully, “That’s pretty much it. My dad helped me get here.”</p><p>“Can you tell us anything about this island?” asked Usopp.</p><p>“Or why you’re fireproof?” Luffy added, still in awe.</p><p>Leo grinned and stuck his palm out. A small ball of fire bloomed on his hand before floating off into the burning air.</p><p>“It’s a Hephaestus thing,” he said proudly.</p><p>“So…not a devil fruit,” said Zoro.</p><p>Leo wrinkled his nose, “Unless it’s a deviled egg, I’m not eating anything with the word ‘devil’ in front of it; that sounds nasty.”</p><p>“YOU’RE SO COOL!” Luffy hollered.</p><p>“Boy, Percy really nailed his description of you,” said Leo, “Is he around here somewhere?”</p><p>“The others are still on the ship,” said Robin, “We went ahead to scout the island.”</p><p>Leo gestured around him, “Well, this is pretty much it. Fire, fire and more fire. Oh! And the centaurs and the other half of the island is a frozen wasteland.”</p><p>“Centaurs?” asked Zoro.</p><p>“Frozen wasteland?” asked Usopp.</p><p>“That would explain the distress call,” Robin mused, “The caller said it was cold; they must be on the frozen side.”</p><p>“Let’s go check it out!” Luffy said eagerly, “Leo, you’re coming, right?”</p><p>Leo shrugged, “Eh, why not? I’ve done nothing but fight and stare into space for the past two months anyway.”</p><p>“Fight?” Zoro perked up, “You were fighting the dragon?”</p><p>Leo scowled, “No, I tamed the dragon, then you idiots killed him. If that dragon had been Festus, you’d all be cooked by now.”</p><p>“Who is Festus?” asked Robin.</p><p>“My metal dragon,” said Leo, “He’s with my girlfriend.”</p><p>“Like an automaton?” asked Robin, curious.</p><p>Leo opened his mouth to answer, but Usopp cut them off.</p><p>“What do you <em>mean </em>the others got captured?” Usopp demanded, “Where are you?”<br/>“What the Hades is that thing?” said Leo, “It’s gross.”</p><p>Ignoring him, the others listened intently to the Transponder Snail.</p><p><em>“Yohohoho! We don’t know! It is very cold though,”</em> said Brook.</p><p><em>“Brook, let me handle this,” </em>said Percy.</p><p>Leo’s eyes widened, “Percy!”<br/>Percy didn’t hear him, so he kept talking, <em>“Some guys that…oh my gods! I know what they remind me of now!”</em></p><p>Everyone did a face plant.</p><p>“Percy, you were saying?” Robin prompted.</p><p>
  <em>“Yeah, so these guys that look just like the 2319 guys from Monsters Inc. hit us with some kind of sleeping gas. I escaped into the ocean until the gas cleared up and by the time I got back on the ship, everyone except Brook was gone. The ship’s somewhere cold now; we can’t see the burning sea anymore.”</em>
</p><p>“Alright, both of you stay put,” ordered Zoro, “We’re on our way from the burning side. We’ll group up and look for Nami and the others together.”</p><p><em>“Copy that,” </em>said Percy, <em>“Hey-BROOK where are you going? Didn’t you hear Zoro?”</em></p><p>
  <em>“Yohohoho! Let’s make snowmen!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What the Hades is that thing?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Yohohoho! Let’s follow it!”</em>
</p><p>Usopp hung up the Transponder Snail with a sigh, “Idiots.”</p><p>“I’d imagine the kidnappers overlooked Brook because they assumed he was dead,” said Robin, “I wonder if they’re experimenting on Franky…”</p><p>“Stop DOING that!” Usopp hollered.</p><p>Leo laughed, “Wow, you guys are just like what Percy described.”</p><p>“Percy talks about us?” asked Zoro.</p><p>Leo’s manic eyes took on a melancholy hue, “All the time. I didn’t really believe him at first; who would? But some of the stuff he can do made zero sense, even for a demigod. We spent eight months assuming he was with the Roman demigods; finding out he was with you guys for most of that was a little jarring.”</p><p>“This has something to do with the Giant War,” Robin assumed, “That’s what brought Percy here the first time?”</p><p>Leo’s grubby hands dove into a tool belt around his waist and pulled out a pile of gears and bolts. He fiddled with them as they walked.</p><p>“Yeah,” he said after a moment of silence, “The goddess Hera sent him here to get stronger for the war.”</p><p>“Percy’s super strong now!” Luffy proimsed Leo, “Just you wait and see!”</p><p>“Yeah, but at what cost?” Leo muttered under his breath, putting the finishing touches on what looked like a mini-helicopter. He spun the propeller once and the toy sputtered off into the blaze, never to be seen again.</p><p>Luffy opened his mouth to say something about how much Leo would like Franky, only for Usopp to cut him off with a screech.</p><p>“Eeek! It’s a monster!”</p><p>Leo cursed loudly in Ancient Greek and broke into a sprint.</p><p>“Come on!” he urged the others.</p><p>“What is it?” Zoro demanded, “I’ll fight it.”</p><p>“There’s no time for that!” Leo snapped, “Where the chicken lady is, the fake-centaurs are sure to follow. We gotta go find Percy and your friends.”</p><p>“Lead the way,” said Luffy.</p><p>P.E.R.C.Y. J.A.C.K.S.O.N.</p><p>Franky woke up in a cold metal room to some blonde chick shoving a boney sword in his face.</p><p>“Why isn’t Percy with you?” she demanded.</p><p>Franky politely pushed the tip of the sword away from his face and scrambled into a seated position, “Woah there, missy, I think you skipped a few steps.”</p><p>The girl threw her hands in the air in frustration, “We’ve been over this already with Nami and the other two. You are Franky, you are part of my boyfriend’s crew, where. is. he?”</p><p>“Annabeth!” Nami put a hand on the girl’s shoulder, “Franky doesn’t know either. Half of our crew isn’t here right now; Percy’s probably with at least one of them.”</p><p>As the fog crept from Franky’s mind, his surroundings came into sharper focus. Nami and the blonde chick were still in front of him, arguing in a language that Franky didn’t recognize. Chopper sat huddled in a corner, looking morose. Sanji was busy attacking the large, steel door in a vain attempt to bust it open.</p><p>“Hey…” said Franky, “I recognize that shirt…”</p><p>The blonde chick rolled her eyes, “Of course you do; Percy has the same shirt.”</p><p>Finally, Franky put two and two together.</p><p>“You must be Annabeth!” he said eagerly, “We were looking for you!”</p><p>Annabeth rose a dark blonde eyebrow skeptically, “Really?”</p><p>“We were going to,” Nami waved her off, “But we found you anyway, so what’s the difference? Now we just gotta find Piper and the others. They must be somewhere on the island, right?”</p><p>Annabeth begun to pace frantically, “I’ve scouted every inch of the frozen side of this island; the others aren’t here. We all got separated on the journey over.”</p><p>“Bu! Did you finish before you got caught?”</p><p>Annabeth didn’t seem too concerned about the severed head talking to her, “I was looking for a way to the burning side when you found me.”</p><p>“WHO THE HADES ARE YOU?” Nami shrieked, running up and kicking the severed head like a football.</p><p>“None of your business, bu!” sneered the head.</p><p>“His name’s Kin’emon,” said Annabeth, “Don’t mind him; he’s just mad that some guy cut him up.”</p><p>“Bu! Annabeth, that was not your information to give, bu!” huffed the head.</p><p>“You attacked me first,” Annabeth reprimanded the head, “I can tell anyone anything I want about you.”</p><p>“I have so many questions,” Nami said faintly.</p><p>“Bu! I will tell the story, bu,” said Kin’emon.</p><p>
  <em>“Leave me alone!” Annabeth shrieked as she parried another strike from the samurai.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You know where my son is!” the samurai roared, “Tell me, or I will cut you!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’d like to see you try,” snarled Annabeth, slashing at the man with her drakon-bone sword.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Annabeth backed up so as to keep both her attacker and the new guy in her line of sight, “Depends. Are you here to fight me too?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The new guy smirked, “And why would I want to fight my sister?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Annabeth dropped her sword, “You mean…?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Kin’emon, capitalizing on Annabeth’s moment of weakness, pounced.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Room,” said the new guy.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A bubble appeared around them as the new guy made a few quick slashes.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Shambles.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Annabeth watched in fascination as pieces of Kin’emon flew in opposite directions, leaving only the pieces of his head behind.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What kind of a power is that?” she asked curiously, “And who are you? What are you doing on Punk Hazard?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Annabeth’s questions were met with a long sword to her throat.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Sister,” hummed the stranger, “Play along for now.”</em>
</p><p>“That power sounds familiar,” said Nami, “Where have we seen this before?”</p><p>Chopper tugged on her pant leg, “Trafalgar Law! He’s one of the Supernovas!”</p><p>“And a Warlord now too,” added Sanji, “You don’t want to know what he did to get that title.”</p><p>Annabeth frowned, “He’s definitely a demigod; I can tell that much. Whether or not he’s a son of Athena remains to be seen.”</p><p>“We need to get out of here,” Nami decided, “and go and look for the others.”</p><p>“Good luck with that,” Annabeth scoffed, “We’ve been in here for ages; there’s no way out.”</p><p>“That door hasn’t met me yet, Annabeth-sis,” Franky promised, “Everyone stand back.”</p><p>Nami gently pulled Annabeth away from the door as Franky’s hand began to glow.</p><p>
  <em>Radical Beam!</em>
</p><p>“Robots…”Annabeth said faintly, “Not automatons. Gotta remember that.”</p><p>“Are you coming or not?” Sanji snapped at the head.</p><p>“Bu! I hate pirates,” snapped Kin’emon.</p><p>The two proceeded to have a vicious staring contest.</p><p>“We came here on a distress call,” said Sanji, “From one of your victims, samurai.”</p><p>“Eeeh!” said Chopper, “This is the samurai?”</p><p>“Well, yeah,” said Annabeth.</p><p>Sanji picked up Kin’emon by the hair, “This top knot is a traditional style worn by the samurai of Wano.”</p><p>Annabeth rose an eyebrow, “I thought Wano was cut off from the rest of the world. Why do you know that, Sanji?”</p><p>Sanji flinched, looking very uncomfortable. Instantly, Annabeth’s guard was up. She knew these were Percy’s friends and that he trusted them implicitly, but Sanji was definitely hiding something; Annabeth just had to find out how harmful that something was.</p><p>“That doesn’t matter right now!” Nami urged the others, “We have to run!”</p><p>The loud pops and bangs of gunfire from the end of the corridor came to aid Nami’s argument.</p><p>“Franky!” said Sanji.</p><p>“I got it!” said Franky, moving to run at the back of the group.</p><p>“Forget we were ever here!” Nami shouted at the shooters. Foggy looks came over all the assailants faces as they wandered in the opposite direction down the hallway.</p><p>“You’re getting good at that,” said Annabeth, impressed.</p><p>“NAMI-SWAN!” Sanji noodled, “YOU’RE SO HOT AND POWERFUL!”</p><p>Annabeth wacked him over the head with her drakon-bone sword, “Quiet! The enemy could have ears everywhere.”</p><p>“What now?” Chopper asked the group.</p><p>Nami turned to Annabeth, “Well? What is it you usually say? Athena always has a plan?”</p><p>Annabeth sighed, “For now, that plan only involves finding Percy and the rest of your friends.”</p><p>Franky pointed at a large steel door ajar at the other end of the hall, “That way’s a good bet, seeing as the enemy went the other way.”</p><p>Annabeth broke into a jog, “Let’s go.”</p><p>“You’re coming with us,” Sanji decided, yanking Kin’emon into his arms.</p><p>“Put me down, bu!”</p><p>The last thing that the Strawhats expected to find in this frozen wasteland was a daycare.</p><p>But there they were, smack dab in the middle of it.</p><p>“Who are you?” asked the biggest child, a dark-haired girl with large, terrified brown eyes.</p><p>Sanji couldn’t bear to see children so scared, so he tried for a smile, “H-hello there…kids.”</p><p>“They’re so big,” Nami gasped.</p><p>“Where are we, and what’s with all the rugrats?” Franky said gruffly.</p><p>“Maybe it’s the island’s daycare, or something?” Nami suggested feebly.</p><p>“I don’t think so,” said Annabeth, her stormy grey eyes studying the children intently, “I’ve been scouting this laboratory for almost two months; the owner does all kinds of experiments with candy. These kids must be the test subjects.”</p><p>“You mean…”started Chopper, “These kids are being experimented on?”</p><p>“You must be the ones who were frozen,” the dark-haired girl reasoned, “I’m glad you are better!”</p><p>“Doggy!” one of the smaller children cooed happily, reaching out to pet Chopper.</p><p>“COOL ROBOT!” the boys and a couple of the girls cheered, crowding around Franky.</p><p>“I’m a reindeer!” Chopper tried to holler.</p><p>“Who was frozen?” Nami tried to ask. None of the children were listening to her; they were far too busy playing with the Strawhats. Franky ate up the attention easily, dancing around and showing the children his extra hands and hairdos. Chopper wriggled like a worm, but the green-haired girl that was easily twice Franky’s size held Chopper fast, snuggling into his soft, brown fur.</p><p>“They’re not listening,” Annabeth sweat-dropped.</p><p>“ENOUGH!” shouted Kin’emon from his position at Sanji’s feet.</p><p>The children collectively took a step back.</p><p>“It’s a severed head,” one of them whispered.</p><p>“I AM LOOKING FOR A CHILD NAMED MOMONOSUKE!” Kin’emon continued, “HAVE ANY OF YOU SEEN MY BOY?”</p><p>“Not this again,” Annabeth sighed, “Kin’emon, knock it off; you’re scaring the kids.”</p><p>Too late, the kids fled in tears.</p><p>“We have to get out of here,” Chopper said urgently as Nami, Annabeth and Sanji berated Kin’emon, “The enemy is coming back.”</p><p>Annabeth concentrated. Sure enough, the faint sound of frantic footsteps was growing louder and louder.</p><p>“Let’s go,” said Franky, scooping up Chopper and putting him on his red, bulbous shoulder.</p><p>“Please, can you tell us anything about this facility?” Sanji asked the children as they ran.</p><p>“YOU MUST AID ME IN MY SEARCH FOR MOMONOSUKE!” Kin’emon roared.</p><p>Nami smacked the head across the cheek, “Stop already!” she shouted.</p><p>“I am disgraced as a samurai,” Kin’emon sobbed, “All because a woman hit me.”</p><p>“WHAT?” Nami shrieked, outraged.</p><p>“THEN WHY DID YOU ATTACK ME?” roared Annabeth, equally outraged.</p><p>“You looked like you knew where Momonosuke was!” Kin’emon snapped.</p><p>“PLEASE!” shrieked the giant dark-haired girl, “PLEASE, HELP US!”</p><p>“Please, miss!”</p><p>“If you came from outside the island, you must have a ship, right?”</p><p>“We’re not sick anymore, we promise!”</p><p>“Help us get out of here!”</p><p>“I wanna see my mommy!”</p><p>Nami froze in her tracks.</p><p>“Come on, Nami,” Annabeth shouted, “We have to go!”</p><p>“Don’t stop!” shouted Sanji.</p><p>“I’m sorry but we have to go,” Nami said reluctantly, breaking into a run.</p><p>“PLEASE TAKE US WITH YOU!” shrieked the blonde giant boy.</p><p>Franky burst into tears, “Man, this sucks!”</p><p>“We should take them with us,” suggested kind-hearted Chopper.</p><p>“PROMISE YOU’LL COME BACK LATER AND RESCUE US!” sobbed the dark-haired girl.</p><p>This, at last, got Nami to stop again.</p><p>“I KNOW THE TRUTH!” she continued, “THERE’S NOTHING OUT THERE ON THIS ISLAND! NO PEOPLE OR CITIES BECAUSE NOBODY CAME TO HELP US! I WANNA GO HOME AND SEE MY MOMMY AND DADDY AGAIN!”</p><p>Nami’s fists were balled tightly enough to draw blood.</p><p>“YOU CAN LEAVE NOW, BUT YOU HAVE TO COME BACK LATER AND SAVE US!”</p><p>“Get moving, Nami!” Sanji shouted over the sounds of the children crying.</p><p>Finally, Nami turned back, looking determined, “That’s it. We’re not leaving them.”</p><p>“We don’t even know if they’re ok,” said Sanji, “This could be a hospital for all we know. You don’t have to save everyone.”</p><p>“I know that,” Nami said tremulously, “But I cannot turn my back on these children; not when we’re their only hope!”</p><p>Sanji sighed, “Well in that case…”</p><p>Sanji flipped into the air, his leg ablaze.</p><p>
  <em>Diable Jambe, Colière Strike!</em>
</p><p>“Nice one, Sanji!” Nami cheered.</p><p>“What the lady wants,” said Sanji, landing and taking a puff of his cigarette, “The lady gets. Especially when she’s being so sweet to kids.”</p><p>“What is with you people and needing to name all your attacks,” Annabeth grumbled, “It’s impractical and lets your opponent know what you’re doing before you do it.”</p><p>Nami elbowed her in the ribs, “Ow!”</p><p>“Just watch,” Nami insisted, never taking her eyes off Sanji.</p><p>“Impressive,” Kin’emon admitted, “That fellow is very strong.”</p><p><em>Kung Fu Point!<br/></em>Chopper leapt into action as well, taking on three enemies at once.</p><p>Annabeth pulled out her drakon-bone sword, “Well, Nami? You coming? I won’t be the only one left on the sidelines with these creepy children.”</p><p>Nami sighed, clutching her Climatact, “Percy wasn’t lying when he said you were terrible with kids.”</p><p>Sanji slid in front of them before the girls could get any action.</p><p>“Alright, listen up, ankle-biters!” announced Sanji, “Follow the beautiful orange-haired goddess, the radiant blonde-beauty and the Kung-Fu raccoon!”</p><p>Sanji tried (and failed miserably, in Annabeth’s opinion) at a suave hair-flip, “I’m gonna take out these guys.”</p><p>The children cheered while Nami had to hold Annabeth back from charging at Sanji.</p><p>“DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO YOU MISOGYNYSTIC PERVERT!”</p><p>“Let’s go!” Nami pulled Annabeth after her, “The sooner we get out of here, the sooner you can find Percy!”</p><p>“Fine!” Annabeth snapped, “But I’m only leaving to find my BOYFRIEND. You got that, Sanji?”<br/>“Whatever you say, demigoddess,” Sanji crooned.</p><p>“Super!” Franky unleashed his turret gun on the enemy, “If you find Robin, let her know I’m ok, yeah?”</p><p>Nami smiled, “Of course!”</p><p>With that, she, Chopper and Annabeth charged down the corridor, a horde of mismatched-looking children following close behind.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Percy finds a torso and Luffy rides a boat.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>“I-It’s…” Percy stuttered.</p><p>“Just a torso?!?” Brook shrieked.</p><p>“Why,” demanded Percy, “Just…why?”<br/>The torso lunged, making a sweeping arc with its beautiful sword.</p><p>“You want to stop and ask it?” said Brook, “Or do you want to fight?”</p><p>Percy actually looked like he was considering the former option.</p><p>“Percy!” Brook shouted, meeting the torso’s next strike with his cane sword.</p><p>“I mean…” Percy said seriously, “It doesn’t seem to notice me. What’s the harm?”</p><p>“But then it would notice you if you asked it why it is,” Brook reasoned, sidestepping the torso’s next attack and countering with his own, “And what if it’s a ghost?”</p><p>“True,” Percy acquiesced, “Ghosts are pretty scary.”</p><p>“If you’re a ghost, Mr. Torso-san,” Brook said seriously, “You have to obey the rules and only come out at night. Or you could make snowmen with me!”<br/>Percy sweat-dropped, “What kind of rule is that?”<br/>“Would you stop criticizing me and help me!?!” Brook shouted.</p><p>Percy rolled his eyes, “Fine, fine,” and with a wave of his hand, the torso was buried in snow.</p><p>“Well, that’s that…?” Percy trailed off as the torso burst free of the snow and began a rapid show of expert fencing with Brook.</p><p>“Percy!” wailed Brook, “I don’t understand how it can attack me with such precision without eyes! Oh, but I don’t have eyes either, yohohohoho ah!”</p><p>Percy shrugged, “Don’t say I didn’t try.”</p><p>The torso pulled out a second sword and came near to lobbing off Brook’s head.<br/>“Two sword-style?”Brook gasped, “That’s it! He’s too creepy! Somebody save me!”</p><p>And he took off into the blizzard.</p><p>Percy sprinted after him, cursing the whole way, “Wait, Brook! Come back! We’re supposed to wait for Luffy and the others!”</p><p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>“Well…we found the centaurs,” said Robin.</p><p>“WHY ARE THEY FIRING AT US?” hollered Usopp.</p><p>“They’re gonna capsize the boat!” Leo shouted, “I won’t do good as a Leosicle! I’d taste like charcoal!”<em><br/></em>Zoro cut another cannonball in half, allowing the two halves to explode around the banana boat.</p><p>“That the best they can do?” he smirked.</p><p>“Nice one!” Luffy cheered, “My turn!”</p><p><em>Gum Gum Legs Balloon!<br/></em>Luffy’s stomach grew to the size of a small whale. The cannonballs hit Luffy’s stomach with a soft ‘thud!’ and sprung back at the centaurs on the opposite shore.</p><p>“First they cut the shells then they bounce the shells off their bodies like they’re playing hackey sack!” shouted a centaur in a purple coat, “How the hell do they do that?”</p><p>“A devil fruit,” guessed the biggest centaur with an evil grin, “I have just the thing for you. Prepare to fire!”</p><p>“They just don’t learn,” Usopp said smugly, “Teach them a lesson, guys!”<br/>“Hold on,” said Robin, “They’re aiming at the water.”</p><p>“They’re gonna capsize us for sure this time!” Leo shouted, “Not cool! Give me a minute and I’ll get us out of this!”</p><p>Leo’s hands dove into his tool belt and he began frantically pulling out gears and pieces of metal.</p><p>“FIRE!”</p><p>“Let’s get behind the iceberg!” said Robin as the banana boat rocked violently amidst the cannonballs.</p><p>“How’s that solution coming, Leo?” shouted Zoro.</p><p>“Almost there,” Leo muttered, summoning a fistful of fire to weld his device together, “Now! Done! Let’s get out of here!”</p><p>The Strawhats didn’t even have time to marvel at the motor that Leo had built in under five minutes, for at that moment, the iceberg shattered.</p><p>“GO!” shouted Luffy.</p><p>“Right!” Leo yelped, setting his hand on fire and holding it to the motor. The motor hummed happily, shot a jet of fire behind them and sent the banana boat speeding towards the icy shore.</p><p>“NO THAT’S TOO FAST!” howled the centaur, “YOU’LL CRASH INTO US!”</p><p>“L-let’s g-get coats,” Luffy chattered.</p><p>“G-Get m-me one t-too,” Usopp asked pitifully.</p><p>Luffy, Zoro, Robin and Leo made short work of the centaurs on the other side, beating them to a pulp and ripping their coats off their bodies.</p><p>“Ah, much better,” Luffy said happily, “Now if only we had a fire we could roast marshmallows.”</p><p>Leo pulled a bag of marshmallows out of his tool belt while simultaneously setting his other hand on fire, “You were saying?”</p><p>“I LOVE YOU!” Luffy hollered. He tried to throw himself on Leo, but Zoro held him back.</p><p>“Easy there, captain,” Zoro said with an adorably jealous look on his face, “We need to go find the others.”</p><p>“Looks like they didn’t need our help after all,” said a very-welcome voice, “Though I don’t have eyes to look. Yohohoho!”</p><p>“Brook! Percy!” Usopp and Luffy cheered.<br/>“Good to see you’re alright,” Robin said warmly.</p><p>While Brook struck a majestic pose from the top of the hill, Percy broke into a sprint, charging straight down the hill at Leo.</p><p>Leo waved sheepishly, “Heheh, hiya, Percy-ow!”</p><p>Percy ran straight up to Leo and socked him in the face, sending the son of Hephaestus flying into Zoro.</p><p>“Watch it, Percy,” Zoro warned.</p><p>“What the Hades, man?” Leo whined.</p><p>“What the Hades?” Percy said incredulously, “You’re supposed to be dead! We watched you fucking <em>explode</em>, and all you have to say is ‘what the Hades’?”</p><p>Leo rubbed his arm sheepishly, “I guess I deserved that.”</p><p>“Damn right you did,” Percy snorted, “Welcome back, Valdez.”</p><p>“So now what?” asked Usopp.</p><p>Percy held out his hand and in an instant, everyone was bone dry.</p><p>“Handy trick,” Leo grinned.</p><p>“Thanks,” said Percy, “Anyway, the plan should still be the same, right, Captain? We have to go find Nami and the others.”</p><p>“Yeah,” said Luffy, “Let’s go!”</p><p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>“I don’t see that back door anywhere!” shouted Nami, “Anyone got any ideas?”<br/>“Yes!” Annabeth and Kin’emon said at once.</p><p>“Go back and ask that fellow that cut me up,” Kin’emon said as Annabeth said “Go ask Law.”</p><p>“Yeah that’s a big fat no,” said Nami, “The Marines are still there. Anyone else?”</p><p>“Just leave it to me!” Franky said confidently, speeding ahead of the group.</p><p>“Do you have some sort of super cool sensor thing?” Chopper asked in awe.</p><p>“Nope!” Franky said cheerfully.</p><p>“THEN WHY THE HELL ARE WE FOLLOWING YOU?” snapped Chopper and Sanji.</p><p><em>Room! Shambles!<br/></em>Annabeth skidded to a halt behind the Strawhats, all four of whom had stopped.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” she said urgently, “If we’re not going to face Law, we need to move.”</p><p>“I’M MANLY!” Franky shrieked in a voice that sounded distinctly like Nami’s.</p><p>Meanwhile, Nami ripped Sanji’s jacket open, loudly admiring her boobs.</p><p>“I’m a human?” Sanji said in disbelief.</p><p>Annabeth shuddered, “What a horrible power.”</p><p>Though she supposed if she could be mortal for a day and escape all her nightmares and responsibilities, she would be ok with that. Just for a day, mind you; Annabeth quite liked who she was. She wondered how Nami felt now that she was all of a sudden mortal.</p><p>“WHY DID WE SWITCH BODIES?”</p><p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>“Hey! Crocotar! You still don’t wanna tell me where the rest of my crew is at?” asked Luffy.</p><p>Brownbeard looked resolutely forward, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes, “You’re not gonna get a word out of me.”</p><p>“And yet, we can get you to give us a piggy back ride,” said Leo, amused, “What’s more humiliating?”</p><p>“This is pretty humiliating,” Brownbeard agreed, “Being used like this, having my crew beat up and robbed. When will it end?”</p><p>“You’re just crying cuz you got your ass beat,” Zoro said from his position lower down on Brownbeard’s back in between Robin and Percy, “Suck it up and take it like a man.”</p><p>“If the others get frostbite because they could not warm themselves like we did,” said Robin, staring pensively into the blizzard, “They could lose any number of limbs.”</p><p>“You’re a real ray of sunshine, you know that?” Leo waved a wrench at Robin.</p><p>“Spare us your gruesome fantasies, please,” said Usopp, “You’re gonna scare the new guy.”</p><p>“I killed Mother Earth, Pinocchio,” said Leo, sticking his wrench in Usopp’s face, “Gruesome fantasies ain’t got nothing on me.”<br/>The others looked expectantly at Percy, but the other demigod was also looking off into the distance with a terrified look on his face.</p><p>“Percy?” Usopp asked hesitantly.</p><p>“Leave him alone,” said Leo, suddenly very serious, “Let him ride it out.”</p><p>“But-,” Usopp tried to protest, but Leo cut him off.</p><p>“Trust me,” Leo insisted, “It’s better for everyone if you leave him alone when he’s like this.”</p><p>So the others left Percy alone in his flashback, opting to sit in silence and listen to the cries and huffs of Brownbeard as he ran through the snow.</p><p>That is, until they ran into Trafalgar Law standing over Smoker’s immobile form in the snow.</p><p>“DAMN YOU!” shrieked Tashigi.</p><p>“Gh!” Zoro yelped and hid behind Luffy.</p><p>Law created another room and did something with his fingers. The next second, Tashigi dropped by Smoker, unconscious.</p><p>“That wasn’t very nice, Traffy,” Luffy pouted, “I know you saved me at Marineford, but if you still wanna be our ally you can’t go around killing people.”<br/>“This guy is your ally?” Leo muttered to Usopp.<br/>“It’s complicated,” Usopp whispered in Leo’s ear, “We’ll explain later.”</p><p>“They’re still alive,” Law assured the Strawhats, turning to go back inside, “Go to the lab around the corner. There, you will find what you’re looking for.”</p><p>“Wait a second,” said Zoro, “You said two years ago that you had a proposition for us; why the sudden change of heart?”</p><p>“I’ll explain everything later,” said Law, not even turning back to look at them, “For now, go find your friends.”</p><p>With that, the large, steel door closed, leaving the Strawhats and the Marines out in the cold.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Punk Hazard gets a new visitor</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>“This coat is so warm,” Annabeth exclaimed, watching the children play in the snow in their new winter clothing, “This has gotta be a devil fruit power.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Nami agreed, “Kind of a weird one though.”</p><p>“We have a reindeer with us who can talk because of a devil fruit,” Franky pointed out, “There are weirder things in the world.”</p><p>“Hey! You guys!” Luffy cried happily.</p><p>“LUFFY!” Chopper cheered, “I’m so glad to see you!”</p><p>Nami nudged Annabeth, “Hey, look who it is.”</p><p>Annabeth gasped and took off towards the giant centaur at a sprint. But instead of throwing herself into Percy’s arms, like the others expected, she gently helped him off the centaur and laced her fingers through his.</p><p>“Percy,” she said urgently, “Percy look at me.”</p><p>“Woah, blondie,” said Usopp, “Leo said to let him ride it out, whatever it is.”</p><p>“It appears to be an episode of PTSD,” said Chopper, “Though where he got PTSD is a mystery to me…”</p><p>“I did say that,” Leo agreed, “Because you’re not Annabeth.”<br/>Miraculously, Percy’s foggy eyes became clear and teary, “Annabeth?”</p><p>The two embraced in a fierce kiss, causing the children to gag and cheer.</p><p>“Annabeth,” said Usopp, “Why does that name sound familiar?”</p><p>“She’s Percy’s girlfriend,” Robin supplied helpfully.</p><p>The two demigods broke apart. Immediately, Annabeth punched Leo in the arm.</p><p>“Ow!” Leo whined, “Is this gonna be a common thing with you guys?”<br/>“It is when you come back from the dead,” Annabeth said before flinging her arms around the son of Hephaestus’ neck, “It’s good to see you, Leo.”</p><p>“We all have many questions,” said Robin, eyeing what at first glance, appeared to be her boyfriend, Franky, “Let’s go set up camp out of the snow.”</p><p>The first thing the group did once out of the snow was give Kin’emon back his legs.</p><p>“My legs!” he shouted joyfully, “I’m almost whole again!”</p><p>The samurai danced circles around the campfire, almost tripping over Leo in his excitement.</p><p>“Hey, Kin’emon, Leo’s the only thing keeping this fire going,” Annabeth said in a threatening tone, “You’d better not interrupt his concentration.”</p><p>“I missed you, Annabeth,” Leo said happily, coaxing the campfire to grow another few inches.</p><p>“Alright,” said Annabeth, taking charge of the situation, “Let’s start with the basics. I am Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. This here is my boyfriend, Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and this hothead is Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, the god of the forge and fire.”</p><p>Annabeth gestured at Nami, Sanji, Chopper and Franky, “A man claiming to be my brother used his devil fruit power to switch the bodies of these four; Nami is in Franky’s body, Chopper is in Sanji’s, Franky is in Chopper’s and Sanji is in Nami’s.”</p><p>“Happily so,” Sanji said dreamily, twirling a lock of orange hair between his fingers.</p><p>Nami held up a giant fist with an evil glint in her eye, “Watch it, Sanji.”</p><p>Zoro winced. He knew from experience that a blow to the head from Franky was not a fun experience; the idiot cook had better keep his guard up.</p><p>Annabeth held out her sword to stop Kin’emon in his tracks, “This is Kin’emon. He is a samurai from the Land of Wano. He is on Punk Hazard looking for his son, Momonosuke.”</p><p>“From the Land of Wano?” said Zoro, curious.</p><p>“This is quite interesting,” said Robin, “Isn’t it?”</p><p>Annabeth gestured behind her at the children, “These are children we found in the laboratory. They asked us for help, so we took them with us.”</p><p>A couple of children threw themselves on Nami.</p><p>“Do a trick!” they cheered excitedly.</p><p>“NOT NOW!” Nami shouted.</p><p>The children flinched before remembering.</p><p>“Right; not him,” said one of the children before they all got bored and continued playing in the snow.</p><p>Sanji shoved his twitching hands in his pockets. Man, he’d kill for a-</p><p>“Here,” said Nami.</p><p>The box of cigarettes looked positively minuscule in Franky’s giant hand, but to Sanji they looked like a gift from the Gods.</p><p>“A-Are you sure?” he asked hesitantly.</p><p>Nami gave him a small smile, “Yeah. I know you like to smoke when you’re stressed, so smoke.”</p><p>Once more, Sanji was reminded of what a truly wonderful person Nami was. Seriously, what had he done in his life to deserve someone like her?</p><p><em>“Nothing,” </em>a voice that sounded an awful lot like his father hissed in his ear, <em>“You’re a pathetic loser; how could anyone love you?”</em></p><p>Nami’s kind face filled his vision (it was kind of hard for her not to; she didn’t quite yet understand how large Franky was) and cut off his thoughts of self-loathing, “Sanji?”<br/>Sanji took the pack of smokes gratefully, “You are too good to me, Nami-swan.”</p><p>Nami, beautiful, sweet, kind Nami, was nice to him. For now, that was all Sanji could ask for.</p><p>“Hey, Kin’emon.”</p><p>One of the many people taking this overflow of information remarkably well was Percy. With his arm around Annabeth, the son of Poseidon looked happier than the Strawhats had seen him in weeks. It filled their hearts with warmth to see Percy look so relaxed. Without a doubt, Annabeth was more than worthy of becoming a Strawhat.</p><p>“Do you come with a torso?” Percy continued, “Or do people just look like that in Wano?”</p><p>“Bu! Of course I have a torso!” Kin’emon snapped, getting up in Percy’s face, “And when I find it, I will tower over all you puny outsiders, bu!”</p><p>Percy patted him condescendingly on the head, “I’m sure you will, but I think Brook has something to say to you about that torso.”</p><p>Brook blinked. “Oh yeah!” The Soul King’s cheeks flushed dark pink, “That was you? I almost died!”</p><p>“You mean you found my torso?” Kin’emon charged at Brook, causing the skeleton to shriek and run around the campfire, the samurai chasing him the whole time, “I demand you return it to me at once, bu!”</p><p>“Slow your role, short stuff,” Percy said easily, “We don’t have it. Your torso chased us up a hill, then tripped and fell into the sea.”</p><p>Kin’emon sat (how, Percy had no idea), and sighed, “That explains why I feel so cold, bu.”</p><p>“You’re the reason for the distress signal,” Zoro guessed, “You fought the centaurs.”</p><p>“Yes,” said Kin’emon, “But only because they were in the way of me rescuing my son, Momonosuke.”</p><p>…meanwhile…</p><p>deep within the recesses of the laboratory, Trafalgar Law pried a cold, steel door open to face his conspirator.</p><p>“What have you done this time, Law?”</p><p>“If anyone should complain, it’s me, Caesar,” Law grumbled, slipping into the dimly-lit room and shutting the door behind him.</p><p>The gaseous man known as Caesar hung up his Transponder Snail.</p><p>“I’ve just gotten permission to kill them all,” he said smugly, “No matter who we kill, whether it’s the Strawhats or the Marines, Joker will make sure the losses are officially announced as accidents at sea.”</p><p>“Like you did with the children,” Law reasoned, “You are a bastard, aren’t you, Caesar?”</p><p>“Shurourourou,” Caesar chuckled, “Careful who you’re talking to, Law; I could report you to Joker at any time.”</p><p>“Whatever,” Law left the room, clearly bored with this conversation.</p><p>“I don’t think he likes you very much.”</p><p>Caesar may have been a trusted associate of Joker, feared by all his subordinates, but whenever he heard that voice, the voice that breathed to life the silent sound of snow burying its frozen corpses in icy tombs, even Caesar had to shudder a bit.</p><p>“His opinion is of no importance,” Caesar assured the woman sitting by Monet, “All he’s done is confirm that your targets are here.”</p><p>The woman brushed a lock of dark, inky hair behind her pale-white ear and hummed thoughtfully, “Five demigods all on the same island. On the Four Seas, no less. Quite the occurrence.”</p><p>She glided towards Caesar, leaving a trail of fresh snowfall in her wake, “With no eyes on the Grand Line, it would be a shame if they all met their demise to the monsters roving this island.”</p><p>“Are you saying you won’t kill them yourself, Lady Khione?” Caesar asked nervously. His logia fruit had no effect on her godly powers and Caesar was not in the mood to be flash frozen again.</p><p>“I would if I could,” she said with a small pout in her colorless lips, “But my powers do not work as they should while I am here. As…” dark, angry splotches bloomed on her cheeks as she bit out, “as a <em>minor </em>goddess, simply existing here takes all of my concentration. No matter; my brothers have sent soldiers to carry out my wishes.”</p><p>“And then?” Caesar asked hopefully.</p><p>“You shall have your pathetic bounties and test subjects,” Khione sneered, “Your mortal wishes are of no concern to me. But the demigods are mine to play with. I will make them regret ever leaving the reach of their parents’ protection.”</p><p>A centaur fell through the open door, half-frozen to death.</p><p>“Please, master! We were robbed by pirates! They took Boss Brownbeard!”</p><p>Caesar circled the frostbite-ridden centaur like a vulture, “Oh, dear. Of course we will save the others, but first, let’s get you some of the new medicine we’ve been testing next door.”</p><p>The centaur’s eyes filled with tears, “Thank you master, you are so kind to us!”</p><p>The centaur didn’t notice the Goddess of Snow, or the dangerous glint in Caesar’s eyes.</p><p>“There, there. Master will make it all better.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the Strawhats get a history lesson</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>P.E.R.C.Y. J.A.C.K.S.O.N.</p><p>“This is dumb, Usopp!”<br/>“I like it,” said Franky, admiring his new mask, “It’s a reminder of my manly manliness.”</p><p>“I don’t care anymore,” Nami said blandly.</p><p>“This detracts from Nami’s beauty,” Sanji said hotly.</p><p>“Quit whining,” said Usopp, “This way we’ll be able to keep track of who’s who.”</p><p>“Ridiculous,” Annabeth scoffed, “Anyone with a few brain cells can tell who’s who. I just met all of you and I can still tell.”</p><p>“Yes, yes, you’re leagues smarter than the rest of us,” Percy patted his girlfriend comfortingly on the shoulder, “But the rest of us dunces need the help.”</p><p>“So, Brownbeard, huh?”<br/>“HE’S NOT EVEN PAYING ATTENTION!” Sanji wailed at Luffy. The captain sat shoulder to shoulder with his boyfriend (though even saying the word aloud would cause Zoro to turn fire engine red and promptly stick his head in the snow) facing the chained up centaur.</p><p>“That’s right,” Brownbeard said proudly, “I’m sure you’ve heard that name; it’s what I used to go by.”</p><p>“Never heard of it,” Luffy said flatly, already bored with this conversation. Instead, he busied himself with tracing the outline on an awesome-looking scar on Zoro’s left hand.</p><p>“Are you kidding me, you fool!” Brownbeard snapped. Then, to the children using him as a jungle gym, “Hey! Get off me before I bite you!”</p><p>“Something’s up,” said Zoro, trying, in vain, to regain Luffy’s attention, before giving up and letting Luffy play with his hand, “You wouldn’t talk earlier, now you won’t shut up. Why are you so eager to play twenty questions now?”</p><p>“Oh ho,” Brownbeard chuckled, “I’m in a good mood. Law knows that I’m with you guys; he’s gonna come for me and make you pay.”</p><p>“I can take him,” Annabeth said confidently.</p><p>“Sure,” Percy agreed easily, “But to kick his ass, we need to find it first. How do we go about doing that?”</p><p>“I despise all you deplorable members of your generation,” Brownbeard sniffed in disdain, “Law’s the exception.”</p><p>“What do you mean, our generation?” Luffy pouted, graciously giving Zoro back his hand.</p><p>“You fool,” Brownbeard scoffed, “I mean the eleven pirates who showed up on Sabaody two years ago with bounties over 100 million. You, combined with Blackbeard, make up the worst generation. They say you fools will determine the course of this era. After Whitebeard died, you lot came to the New World and rose hell. Every time something big happened, one of you was usually behind it. I hate all of you.”</p><p>“He means you two idiots,” said Nami, gently shoving Luffy and Zoro in their backs.</p><p>“Oh,” said Luffy, then, “Hey! We’re not so bad! You shouldn’t hate Zoro!”</p><p>“Don’t listen to him, Luffy,” Zoro cupped Luffy’s chin and turned it to face him, “He’s a nobody; his opinion counts for shit.”</p><p>Luffy took Zoro’s hands in his, “I know that.”</p><p>“Helloooo?” Brownbeard whined, “I’m trying to tell you about how Basil Hawkins destroyed my crew and cost me my legs? OW!”</p><p>Nami punched him hard in the gut. “Let them have their moment,” she said menacingly, “These emotionally constipated idiots need practice expressing their feelings to each other. Whatever you have to say, you can say it to us.”</p><p>“You hit hard, cyborg man,” Brownbeard complained, “But if you insist, I was fleeing for my life when I ended up here, on Punk Hazard. Do you fools even know what this place is?”</p><p>“Weeeell considering you told me the LAST three times I beat you up,” said Leo with a shit-eating grin on his face, “How about I explain it?”</p><p>Brownbeard deflated, “Fine, fine, just don’t shoot fire at me again.”</p><p>Leo clapped his hands together excitedly, “Excellent! So this dump used to be a Tropical Paradise until some inventor dude-,”</p><p>“Vegapunk,” Annabeth supplied helpfully.</p><p>“Yes, right,” Leo agreed, “Dr. Vegapunk’s lab used to be here. He needed somewhere to test his chemical weapons, so he shipped criminals here to be his test subjects.”</p><p>“Then one day, one of the chemical reactions was powerful enough to destroy two of the three labs,” Annabeth continued, “We’re standing in one of them right now.”</p><p>“And the explosion reduced the island to a nuclear wasteland,” said Leo, “Everything died, so Vegapunk packed up shop, hightailed it out of here, and left the criminals behind to die.”</p><p>“The poisonous air paralyzed most of the criminals from the waist down,” said Annabeth, “They were resigned to their fate until a crazy person-,”</p><p>“A kind master!” Brownbeard snapped.</p><p>“A CRAZY person,” Annabeth raised her voice warningly, making Percy laugh, “Got rid of the gas on the island-,”</p><p>“Because he’s got crazy gas powers,” Leo added.</p><p>“Because he has a gas-related devil fruit,” Annabeth agreed, “And gave you prisoners animal legs in exchange for your service.”</p><p>“How’d we do?” asked Leo, “That’s all of it, right?”</p><p>“No,” Brownbeard said excitedly, “Finally, my turn to talk. A few months ago, our second savior, Trafalgar Law, arrived on the island. Using his special ability, he gave us new legs-,”</p><p>“By crippling some poor animals,” Nami guessed, “That’s horrible.”</p><p>“We thought we’d never walk again,” Brownbeard raised his voice, drowning out Nami’s, “So we wept when our bodies were restored.”</p><p>“That explains everything except the dragon,” said Leo.</p><p>“Yeah, what’s up with that?” asked Usopp.</p><p>“Vegapunk created it to defend the island against unwanted creatures,” said Brownbeard, “Run if you see it; it’s very aggressive.”</p><p>“Heheh, good luck with that now,” said Usopp, “These two idiots killed it and we ate it.”</p><p>“Hey,” said Annabeth, “Where’d they go?”</p><p>“And where’s the samurai?” asked Usopp.</p><p>“Oh, he went off to find his torso,” said Percy, “When we mentioned that we knew where it was he stormed off to look for it.”</p><p>“Damn it!” Sanji cursed, “I knew it was too quiet in here. I’d better go look for him.”<br/>“Why do you care so much, Sanji-san?” asked Brook.</p><p>Sanji looked conflicted, “I’m the one who brought him out of that room. That makes him my responsibility.”</p><p>“I’d imagine he can’t hold a sword without arms,” Brook reasoned, “If he were to find an enemy, our samurai friend would be in big trouble. Very well, I will show you the way.”</p><p>Percy kissed Annabeth on the cheek, “Ok if I go too? The torso fell into the lake; maybe I can bring it up without anyone needing to freeze to death trying to get it out.”</p><p>Annabeth took a deep, shaky breath, “Alright, but you better come back alive. Got it, Seaweed Brain?”</p><p>“Wait!”</p><p>Nami charged off behind a large, broken machine and came back with Zoro clutched by the scruff of his coat. Luffy followed behind them, looking sheepish.</p><p>“Take this one with you,” Nami insisted, flinging Zoro at Sanji.</p><p>“Bye Zoro!” Luffy called happily, watching Zoro, Sanji, Percy and Brook run off into the snow, “Have fun!”</p><p>“You don’t seem all that concerned,” Leo noticed, “Isn’t he your boyfriend?”</p><p>Luffy stretched like a cat before settling down on a frozen piece of machinery, “I guess so, but Zoro can take care of himself, especially if he’s got those three with him. He’ll be ok.”</p><p>“WHY DO I HAVE TO GO ON THIS STUPID ERRAND WITH YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE?”<br/>“SHUT UP! I WANT TO DO THIS WITH PEOPLE WHO WILL APPRECIATE NAMI-SWAN’S BODY. NOT A SHITTY TAKEN DEMIGOD AND A SHITTY GAY SWORDSMAN!”</p><p>“Why did I agree to this again…?”</p><p>“Yohohoho! Onward and Upward!”</p><p>“Sure,” Leo drawled as he watched Percy’s retreating back, “They sound like they’ll be just peachy.”</p><p>“It’s nice to see the kids having fun,” said Chopper, “They’re so full of energy.”</p><p>“You’re right,” said Nami, “It’s hard to believe that they’re sick at all.”</p><p>“Annabeth? You’ve been here for a while. Do you know anything about what might be making them sick?” asked Chopper.</p><p>“I don’t know much,” Annabeth admitted, “I scoured every inch of that facility except the room we ended up in, just because I could never get in. I have seen the production sites though. They make candies there. My guess is whatever is in those candies is what’s making the children so large.”</p><p>“I’d like to run some tests,” said Chopper, “So I can find out exactly what’s wrong with them.”</p><p>“Sounds good,” Nami said warmly, “What can I do to help?”</p><p>“Could you gather samples of their sweat, please?” Chopper asked politely.</p><p>“Excuse me, miss?” the giant dark-haired child asked Nami as she was collecting sweat from the large baby, “D-do you think I’ll get better? Cuz I really wanna see my mommy and daddy.”</p><p>Nami’s heart was full to bursting at the honest, hopeful look on this child’s face.</p><p>“Of course you will, Mocha,” she reassured the girl, “And I will personally help you get home.”</p><p>Mocha rewarded Nami with a smile and an adorable laugh, “Great!”</p><p>“So where do we go from here?” Usopp asked what remained of the group.</p><p>“First things first, we need to get our bodies back,” Nami insisted, “I’m tired of being a giant perv!”</p><p>Chopper’s face broke into an ugly grin as Franky said “Ah, c’mon, you know you love me, Nami.”</p><p>“Franky,” Robin said sharply, “I forbid you from making that face while in Chopper’s body; it’s creepy.”</p><p>“You’re no fun,” Franky pouted, “So anyway, what do we do about the ankle-biters? Anyone got any bright ideas?”</p><p>“Franky,” Robin said again, “You know I love you, but please don’t speak while you’re in Chopper’s body. Not one word.”</p><p>Franky stared at her, dumbfounded.</p><p>“What?” Robin said defensively.</p><p>“T-that’s the first time you’ve ever said that…” Franky said quietly, “That you love me.”</p><p>“I hate to interrupt this tender moment,” Leo said urgently, “But does anyone know what’s going on with the big blonde kid?”</p><p>“I can’t breathe!” Sind moaned, curling up into a ball on the icy ground.</p><p>“This can’t be…” said Chopper, looking at his test tube in horror.</p><p>One by one, the biggest children dropped to the ground like flies. Moans filled the air as Chopper hurried up to Sind.</p><p>“Was I right?” Annabeth said it more as a statement than a question.</p><p>Chopper ignored her, “Sind, is there something you want right now?”<br/>“CANDY!” he wailed, “That’s what I need! When I eat it, I feel happy, so can I have some? Please?”</p><p>Usopp yelped and ducked for cover as Leo’s entire body ignited, “Watch it, man!”</p><p>“These kids are being drugged?” Leo said in a dangerous voice.</p><p>Chopper stalked towards Brownbeard, “What was your name? Brownbeard? Do you know anything about this? These children aren’t sick after all.”</p><p>“What are you saying?” Brownbeard asked nervously, “I don’t go in the lab. I do know this though: these youngsters are suffering from an incurable disease.”</p><p>“It’s going to be alright,” Usopp said soothingly, holding a little boy, writhing in pain, in his arms.</p><p>“What’s happening to them?” Luffy said frantically, hovering anxiously by a large, bald boy.</p><p>“Hey, Chopper!” called Franky from beside a little blonde girl, “The small ones are starting to break down too!”</p><p>“So this master,” Chopper hissed, “What’s he doing to these kids?”</p><p>“What are you implying?” Brownbeard said in a condescending tone, “The master is kind and merciful; he would never do anything to hurt these children; he went out of his way to bring them here to find a cure.”</p><p>“But there is no cure,” said Annabeth, coming to stand by Chopper, “Leo’s right; your ‘master’ is drugging these children with those candies.”</p><p>“They have trace amounts of NHC10 in their bodies,” said Chopper, “That’s the drug in question. They aren’t sick; they’re going through NHC10 withdrawal.”</p><p>“Where can we find this lab with the candies?” Nami demanded.</p><p>“I’m not telling you anything,” Brownbeard sneered.</p><p>Nami looked taken aback, “But…after all these years of training…that should’ve worked!”</p><p>Annabeth grabbed her large, metallic hand, “In your own body, yes, your charmspeak is powerful enough to get this coward to talk, but you’re in Franky’s body right now. You’re as mortal as they come. Meanwhile, Sanji is in your body.”</p><p>A look of horrified realization came over Nami’s face, “And we just sent him out into the cold on an island that could be teeming with monsters.”</p><p>“He’s got Percy with him,” Annabeth said confidently, “They should be ok until they get back, but we have to find Law and we have to do it soon.”</p><p>“NHC10 is highly addictive,” Chopper continued, “My research indicates the children have been fed small amounts of it every day until they eventually became dependent on it.”</p><p>Tears blossomed in Chopper’s eyes as he shattered the test tube clutched in Sanji’s shaking hands, “Who would do this? And to children? Your master is responsible for this, isn’t he? Why would he drug children? To make sure they couldn’t run away? ANSWER ME!”</p><p>“Chopper, what do we do?” asked Luffy, “Kids keep collapsing!”</p><p>“Candy,” Sind moaned.</p><p>“You want candy?” Luffy asked eagerly, glad he could finally help, “You want me to go to the lab and get some for you?”</p><p>Chopper tackled a larger boy, “NO! They absolutely cannot have more of that candy; it has the drug hidden in it.”</p><p>“Well, Luffy?” Sind groaned, his face in his hands, “Are you gonna get me some candy?”</p><p>“Sorry, I can’t,” Luffy apologized, “Chopper’s the doctor of my crew; I trust him.”</p><p>Sind pulled his hands away from his face. His eyes were wild and mean as he said “Meanie! Just give it to me already!”</p><p>Luffy took a step back, “Sind…”</p><p>“YOU SAID YOU WERE GONNA GO GET IT!” Sind screamed, his eyes rolling back in his head, “GO GET MY CANDY!”</p><p>With a roar, Sind punched Luffy. The Strawhat Captain went flying into the nearest wall, leaving a crater larger than Sind in its foundation.</p><p>“Where is the boy’s strength coming from?” Robin gasped.</p><p>“We need to restrain them,” Annabeth said urgently, “They need to be able to wait out their withdrawal. Anyone have any ideas?”</p><p>“Stop, Sind, calm down!” one of the smaller boys shouted.</p><p>“I’ve never seen him like this before,” another smaller boy said in a terrified voice, “What’s wrong with him?”</p><p>Sind let out a scream and lifted a piece of debris several times his size and weight over his head.</p><p>“Damn, that kid is strong,” said Franky, trying and failing to hide how impressed he was.</p><p>“Of course he is,” snapped Leo, “He’s a giant!”</p><p>“GAAAAH!” Sind roared, “GIVE ME MY CANDY!”</p><p>And he threw his projectile at the Strawhats, causing them to scatter.</p><p>“No, he’s not a giant!” cried another kid.</p><p>“What?” said Annabeth.</p><p>“We all used to be normal sized,” said a giant girl with big, blue eyes, “Until we came to this island.”</p><p>“Giants aren’t made,” Chopper said frantically, “They’re born that way.”</p><p>“We get bigger the longer we’re here,” said Allie.</p><p>“So they are being used as test subjects,” said Annabeth, “Sometimes I really hate always being right.”</p><p>“Yeah, I hate you always being right too,” Leo agreed.</p><p>“I’d hit you if you weren’t still on fire,” Annabeth retorted.</p><p>“CANDY!” Allie wailed, grabbing Chopper and throwing him into the ground.</p><p>“Chopper!” cried Luffy.</p><p>“Damn, now the other kids are starting to lose it too!” shouted Franky.</p><p>“Somebody do something!” shouted Nami.</p><p>“Use your charmspeak!” shouted Leo, “You’re an Aphrodite kid, right?”</p><p>“Doesn’t work when they won’t listen,” Nami snapped, “I don’t even know if it’ll work in this body to begin with. Any other bright ideas?”</p><p>“Everyone move!” ordered Usopp, charging forward with his slingshot.</p><p>“Don’t hurt them!” Nami warned.</p><p>“Oh come on!” shouted Usopp, “I know!”</p><p>
  <em>Special Attack: Sleep Star!</em>
</p><p>Blue, sweet-smelling smoke billowed around the Strawhats. When it cleared, all of the children were fast asleep.</p><p>“That worked like a charm,” Usopp said with a sigh of relief, “They’re sound asleep.”</p><p>Chopper knelt by a little red-headed girl, “Luffy, I can’t imagine the pain these children are going through.”</p><p>“Huh?” said Luffy, turning to listen to Chopper.</p><p>“They said they wanna go home!” Chopper’s voice rose, “We gotta do something!”<br/>“Yeah,” said Nami, “I agree.”</p><p>“Me too,” added Leo, “This isn’t right.”</p><p>“Ok,” said Luffy, “Let’s put them on the ship and take them home.”</p><p>“Never gonna happen,” said Franky, “We can’t just waltz out of here; there are too many enemies.”</p><p>“He’s right,” Robin admitted, “Besides, our theory is speculation. We can’t be certain until we meet who’s responsible.”</p><p>“Oh, yeah,” said Luffy with a huff, “It’s bad timing though; Zoro and the others are looking for that samurai.”</p><p>He grinned and hopped off Sind’s chest, “Oh well! It can’t be helped. I’m sure they’ll figure something out. We can all go to the lab on our own.”</p><p>“Luffy, I’m staying here,” said Chopper.</p><p>“What?” said Luffy.</p><p>“I really wanna go,” Chopper tried to assure his captain, “I’m so angry about what he’s done to these children; I really wanna kick his butt, but the kids need me. I’ll stay here to protect them.”</p><p>“I’ll stay too!” Nami said in a high-pitched voice.</p><p>“You just won’t admit you’re scared,” Usopp scoffed.</p><p>“You’ll be in trouble if they start rampaging again,” Luffy said with a frown, “Here, let’s do this.”</p><p>So the Strawhats chained up the children, propping the largest ones against a silo in the center of the destroyed room.</p><p>“You think that’ll hold them?” Annabeth asked skeptically.</p><p>“I dunno,” said Franky, “Listen, I don’t think we should split up. If we want Trafalgar to switch us back, we need to be together. At least, I think that’s how it works.”</p><p>“What’s the big deal?” Luffy said sunnily, “Just stay like this!”</p><p>“THAT’S EASY FOR YOU TO SAY! YOU’RE STILL IN YOUR OWN BODY!” shouted Nami as Leo and Usopp burst out laughing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Zoro and Brook take a nap</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>“Hellooooo!” called Brook, “Mr. Samurai! Where are you?”</p><p>“You’d think his wooden clogs would leave tracks in the snow,” Zoro grumbled.</p><p>“Yeah, but the fresh snow covered them up, idiot,” said Percy.</p><p>“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?”<br/>“I SAID YOU’RE AN IDIOT!”</p><p>“My boobs are so heavy!”</p><p>“Huh?” the other three glanced back at Sanji.</p><p>“They’re so heavy when I run!” Sanji said happily.</p><p>“Perv…”muttered Percy.</p><p>“GET IT TOGETHER, IDIOT! YOU’RE THE ONE WHO WANTED TO DO THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE!” Zoro roared.</p><p>At that moment, Sanji slipped in the snow and Zoro caught him by the hand.</p><p>“Aw,” said Brook, Percy howling with laughter in the background, “How romantic!”<br/>Zoro threw Sanji on the ground, “Get real! The only reason I caught you is you’re in Nami’s body.”</p><p>“Oh, man,” Percy wiped tears of mirth from his eyes, “Careful Zoro; you wouldn’t wanna make Luffy jealous, would you?”</p><p>“WHY’D YOU DROP ME?” Sanji hollered before Zoro could cut Percy into tiny pieces, “Now Nami’s gonna be all bruised up!”<br/>“Guys! You’re never gonna believe what I found over here!”</p><p>The other three ceased their bickering to listen to Brook.</p><p>“It’s a footprint!”</p><p>“You think it’s the samurai’s?” asked Zoro.</p><p>“I-I don’t think it’s human,” Brook said shakily.</p><p>“Well, then it must be a centaur footprint,” Sanji reasoned.</p><p>“Uuuh, no,” said Brook, “This is waaaay too big.”</p><p>“We have to get out of here!” Percy said urgently, “Now!”</p><p>But he was too late. Noxious, green gas swirled at their feet, causing the Strawhats to gag and stumble.</p><p>“What the hell?” Zoro coughed, “What is this?”</p><p>“And what is that?” Brook breathed, looking up at an enormous shadow with cold, blue eyes.</p><p>“’Scuse us,” it said in a deep voice as soft as the falling snow, “We’ll just be taking these two, then we’ll be on our way.”</p><p>Zoro and Brook watched, helplessly immobile, as the monster reached down with long, icy claws and plucked Percy and Sanji out of the snow.</p><p>“L-let them go,” said Brook, but he was already fading in and out of consciousness.</p><p>“I don’t think so,” the second monster said calmly, “The demigods are coming to Lady Khione. The rest of you…well, I hope you like the cold.”</p><p>As Zoro and Brook finally slipped into unconsciousness, the final thing they saw was Percy and Nami slung over the monster’s backs like sacks of flour. When they woke, the monsters were gone.</p><p>And Percy and Sanji along with them.</p><p>P.E.R.C.Y. J.A.C.K.S.O.N.</p><p>Law didn’t quite appreciate Caesar shoving the barrel of a gun in his face. But how else was he supposed to maintain his cover? He had no choice, so he remained on the purple couch, eyeing Caesar with a careful, calculating look.</p><p>“Two of the Strawhats are already dead,” said Caesar.</p><p>“Demon Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro and Soul King Brook,” said Monet, never looking up from her work.</p><p>“Interesting,” said Law. He didn’t believe it for a second. Until there was a body, there was no way that any of the Strawhats were dead.</p><p>“You didn’t summon them here, did you, Law?” Caesar asked, his voice rising dangerously.</p><p>“Now why would I do something as stupid as that?” Law snorted, crossing his arms.</p><p>Caesar’s gun lowered slightly, “I suppose you’re right. You are a Warlord after all; no reason to go undoing all the work you put in to getting that position.”</p><p>“Exactly,” said Law, his guard still up. Something wasn’t right…</p><p>“But you see, Law,” said Caesar, sidling up closer to him, “You trusted me to tell no one you’re here. True, I kept my word, but I know your best kept secret too.”</p><p>In a flash, Law was up and bolting out the door.</p><p>“You can’t get away from me, demigod!”</p><p>Law didn’t even stop for the powerful voice coming up from behind; he had to get out of there and he had to do it quickly.</p><p>
  <em>Room!</em>
</p><p>…</p><p>“You had to startle the one who could teleport?”<br/>“Shirourourou, my mistake, Lady Khione.”</p><p>“…I hate mortals.”</p><p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>Another gunshot rocked their makeshift shelter and once again, Nami wished she had her bracelet. Her monster radar may have been off, now that she was in Franky’s body, but even she could tell that the ones trying to get in were <em>huge.</em></p><p>“See anything, Chopper?” she called up to the roof.</p><p>“No!” Chopper called down to her, “There’s no one there.”</p><p>“They’re definitely there,” said Annabeth, busy doing 360-degree circles with her sword at the ready.</p><p>“You know, you two didn’t have to stay,” Chopper told Leo and Annabeth, “We could’ve handled this.”</p><p>“No, you couldn’t,” Annabeth said flatly, “You don’t know how to fight in Sanji and Franky’s bodies; you’re useless in an attack.”</p><p>Chopper deflated a bit, “I guess you’re right.”</p><p>Annabeth offered him a small, tense smile, “It’s ok. The others need to be able to explore the lab without any interruptions. With Percy and Sanji off looking for Kin’emon, Leo and I chose to stay here to draw any monsters away from Luffy and the others.”</p><p>“And towards us?” Chopper shrieked, “That sounds scary!”</p><p>Leo reached into his tool belt and pulled out a large hammer. It reminded Nami enough of Usopp to make her miss the sharpshooter, but something told her that Leo’s hammer was much more solid than anything Usopp could wield.</p><p>“They’re coming,” Leo murmured.</p><p>“Huh? I guess I fell asleep. Who’s attacking?”<br/>“We don’t have time for you right now,” Annabeth tensed, shooting a murderous look at Brownbeard.</p><p>“It must be the Yeti Cool Brothers,” Brownbeard said smugly, “They’re going to kill you. Once they get paid, they won’t stop till their targets are dead.”</p><p>“If you don’t stop talking, I will melt your hat to your head,” Leo threatened.</p><p>Brownbeard wisely decided to shut up. Not because Leo told him to, but because the barrel of an enormous, frost-ridden gun, was inches away from his face.</p><p>“You’re Brownbeard, aren’t you?” said the owner of the gun in a voice as deep as the sound of ice sinking into the sea, “Just so you know, you’re on our hit list too.”</p><p>“You must be Rock!” Brownbeard said brightly, “I must’ve misheard you before. You’re here to save me, aren’t you? Release me and we can take care of the Strawhats together.”</p><p>“I’m Scotch,” the monster said calmly, “And you didn’t mishear me; the master ordered your assassination along with the Strawhats. If you need proof, here-,”</p><p>Scotch lifted a large, hairy thumb to reveal a dendenmushi, looking impossibly tiny in his giant hands.</p><p>
  <em>“Oh, and while you’re at it, what was that dunce’s name? The one with the stupid, braided beard who got captured by the Strawhats? Oh, yes, Brownbeard! He’s become a nuisance. Kill him too.”</em>
</p><p>Annabeth grit her teeth as Scotch unloaded his gun in Brownbeard’s head. It wasn’t enough that he had to kill him, but he had to destroy him first as well? This monster meant business.</p><p>“Now then,” Scotch hummed, “The demigods, the one with Vegapunk’s lasers and the children are to come with me. The rest of you can go die, for all I care.”</p><p>P.E.R.C.Y. J.A.C.K.S.O.N.</p><p>“We have to hurry!” shouted Usopp as he, Luffy, Robin and Franky sprinted back to the remains of Labs 1 &amp; 2.</p><p>“I know!” snapped Luffy.</p><p>“Look!” said Robin, pointing ahead, “What’s that?”</p><p>“It’s a fire!” Franky exclaimed.</p><p>Sure enough, angry orange flames roared from inside the lab, lighting the building in a warm, yellow glow. The flames soared and twisted above the broken ceiling and threw themselves at two enormous dark shadows. The shadows let out bone-rattling roars and the flames dissipated.</p><p>“Bastards!” Luffy shouted, slingshotting himself at the lab, “If you’ve hurt my crew, I’ll kick your ass!”</p><p>Luffy landed face first in the snow. He looked around wildly with his observation haki, but the intruders were long gone.</p><p>“Luffy!” Chopper pulled Luffy out of the snow, “It’s terrible! Nami, Annabeth and Leo are all gone!”</p><p>“What?!?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Law and the Strawhats have a talk</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>“FRANKY CUT IT OUT!”</p><p>Even when falling to his apparent death over a cliff, Franky in Chopper’s monster body, hot on his heels, Luffy was having fun. Those yetis were so cool! He wanted to bring one home with him, but they’d hurt his friends, so Luffy reluctantly decided he had to kick their butts instead.</p><p>“Luffy! You can’t hit them with normal tactics!” Nami warned from her position tied up in iron chains several hundred feet above his head, “They’re monsters; they were sent by a goddess to collect all the demigods!”</p><p>“Oh?” Rock hummed, amused, “You know about that, cyborg man? That’s pretty cool of you.”</p><p>“It won’t help your mortal friends though,” said Scotch, firing another volley at Luffy, “Lady Khione has no interest in you, so we’re collecting our due pay from the master for your head.”</p><p>
  <em>Second Gear!</em>
</p><p>The yetis were fast, but Luffy was faster. With his observation haki, it was only a matter of dodging until he found the perfect opening.</p><p>
  <em>Jet Pistol!</em>
</p><p>“Not cool!”<em><br/></em>“Nice one, Luffy!” Nami cheered as the yetis exploded into monster dust, “Now get me down from here!”</p><p>“Why aren’t the others with you?” Luffy asked seriously.</p><p>“I’m not a demigod in Franky’s body,” said Nami, “So the yetis overlooked me. Meanwhile, they’ve got Annabeth, Leo and probably Percy and Sanji too tied up somewhere waiting for Khione.”</p><p>“Who’s that?” asked Luffy, “She sounds pretty.”</p><p>“She’s not,” Nami assured her captain, “I’ve heard the stories. Leo and some of our other friends kicked her butt twice leading up to the Giants War. The Goddess of Snow is an absolute nightmare; we have to save the others before she gets her revenge.”</p><p>And with that, the two ran off towards the laboratory at top speed, Franky chasing behind them the whole way.</p><p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>When Luffy, Nami and Franky got back to the laboratory, they found Law waiting for them with Usopp, Robin and Chopper.</p><p>“It looks like you didn’t need my help after all,” said Law, “Good job with the yetis.”</p><p>“Hi, buddy!” Luffy said cheerfully, “What are you doing here?”</p><p>“You remember that offer I made you two years ago, Strawhat?” asked Law, “Well now I’m ready to remake it.”</p><p>“What offer, Luffy?” Nami asked the captain.</p><p>“Two years ago, when we were on Sabaody, Traffy came to me and Zoro with an offer,” said Luffy, using his serious voice, “Traffy, you wanna tell my crew what it is?”</p><p>“I have a plan to take down one of the Yonko,” Law announced, “And I’m asking your help to do it.”</p><p>Silence.</p><p>Then-</p><p>“ARE YOU INSANE?” Usopp shrieked, grabbing Luffy by his coat and shaking him, “This guy freaks me out too much, Luffy, how am I supposed to sleep with him nearby?”</p><p>“It does seem a little farfetched,” said Nami, “We don’t even know that much about him.”</p><p>“I told you two years ago that my crew had to approve of you first,” said Luffy, causing the Strawhats to breathe a sigh of relief, but-, “But you saved my life at Marineford. I trust you, so the others are just going to have to trust you too.”</p><p>“Luffy,” Nami sobbed, “Why would you get my hopes up like that?”</p><p>“Mr. Law, sir?” Chopper asked timidly, “Do you think you could change us back, please?”</p><p>Law rolled his eyes.</p><p><em>Room! Shambles!<br/></em>“OW!” Franky struck a pose, “I’m back baby!”</p><p>Franky took Robin in his arms and spun her in a circle, “Glad I can do this again.”</p><p>“I never doubted you for a second,” Robin said fondly.</p><p>“Franky,” Chopper groaned, “Why’d you go and do that to my body?”<br/>Franky grinned sheepishly, “Sorry, Chopper-bro; I guess your powers were too much for me after all.”</p><p>“WHY AM I SANJI NOW?” Nami wailed.</p><p>“The fourth Strawhat isn’t here,” said Law, “Your soul found its way into the nearest vessel; it’s as simple as that.”</p><p>“There, there,” Robin patted her on the shoulder, “I’m sure the others will be back soon.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t count on that,” Law said seriously, “First of all, I need to know that I can trust you with my biggest secret.”</p><p>“You’re a demigod,” said Nami, “A Son of Athena.”</p><p>Law looked taken aback, “Oh, you’ve met my sister, then?”</p><p>“Her name’s Annabeth,” said Nami, “And you two do have the same eyes, so I can imagine how you’d guess that she’s also a child of Athena.”</p><p>“You must be the Cat Burglar Nami,” Law reasoned, “I saw what you did in that auction house two years ago. My research said that’s a power of Aphrodite?”</p><p>“Yes,” said Nami, “And when did you discover all this?”</p><p>“The world of Gods?” said Law, “Fairly recently. It does explain all the weird things that happen around me. At first I thought it was just the Grand Line, but meeting your second doctor confirmed for me that my experiences weren’t normal.”</p><p>“We have to save him,” said Nami, “Him and the others. Sanji has no idea what he’s gotten himself into. We have to save the kids too.”</p><p>“Naturally,” said Law, “And even though I don’t agree with saving the kids, I know you want to help them. I have a plan to save everyone and start our defeat of Kaido. It involves kidnapping Caesar.”</p><p> “Why would the master take these children?” Robin mused.</p><p>“Yeah!” said Usopp, “How could anyone experiment on little kids like that?”</p><p>“Well, the World Government does,” said Law.</p><p>“The Government?” said Robin, intrigued, “Why?”<br/>“If I had to take a guess, I’d say they’re in the race to create giant soldiers,” said Law, “Caesar just wants to do it first.”</p><p>Law turned to look at the others, “Are you sure you want to save them? You don’t even know these kids?”<br/>“That’s true,” said Nami, “But when they looked at me with tears in their eyes and told me they wanted to go home, I just couldn’t refuse.”</p><p>Law sighed, “Alright, then here’s what we’ll do…”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Sanji meets a goddess</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you live in the United States and are registered to vote, don't forget to vote! It's your right to determine the future of democracy, so use it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>P.E.R.C.Y. J.A.C.K.S.O.N.</p><p>“Sanji, you have to calm down!”</p><p>“Sanji, please!”</p><p>“No, I can’t calm down!” Sanji writhed and thrashed in his celestial bronze chains, “Where the hell are we? Someone tell me now!”<br/>Nami’s charmspeak rolled off Sanji in angry, panicked waves, hitting Percy, Annabeth and Leo so hard that they all began speaking at once, eager to tell Sanji what he wanted to know.</p><p>“We don’t know,” said Percy, “But we’re probably in the lab!”<br/>“Yetis did this,” said Leo.</p><p>“They knocked us out and brought us here,” said Annabeth, “And if we have any chance of escaping before they eat us, Sanji, you need to calm down.”</p><p>Sanji took a deep, shaky breath, “Ok, ok. But why us?”</p><p>“Isn’t it obvious, little demigod?” a wintry voice blanketed the room, “Revenge, of course.”</p><p>“Khione,” Leo snarled, “Didn’t Piper kick your butt well enough last time?”</p><p>“She must be back for round 3,” Annabeth agreed, “She just had to have a swing at us, this time.”</p><p>“WOW, WHAT A BABE!” Sanji gasped.</p><p>At this, Khione couldn’t help but look pleased, “It would appear that Japanese demigods know how to worship a real goddess.”</p><p>“A third-rate goddess,” Percy corrected, “Leo, torch this popsicle.”</p><p>“With pleasure,” said Leo.</p><p>Silence.</p><p>“Well,” Leo said sheepishly, “I would, but we’re all kind of close together right now; I wouldn’t want to burn anyone.”</p><p>“I really have to do everything myself,” Percy sighed.</p><p>No matter how many times she saw it, Annabeth would never get over the sight of Percy turning himself into water and back again. She had no idea how he’d acquired this power, and part of her didn’t want to know, especially after what happened in Tartarus…</p><p>
  <em>She’d seen him do it a dozen times, so when Percy turned into water, Annabeth wasn’t worried.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>That was, until Percy reformed immediately, screaming in pain.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Percy!” Annabeth cried, slapping a hand over his mouth to silence him (in Tartarus, anyone could be listening, waiting for a moment of weakness so they could pounce). </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Percy’s entire body was steaming and raw. Large, reddish welts blossomed like flowers over his arms, legs and face. When he opened his eyes, Annabeth could see they were so bloodshot they looked more red than green.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“How do I fix this?” Annabeth whispered, tears streaming down her face, “Percy, tell me what to do?”<br/>But all Percy could do was hold her hand and scream.</em>
</p><p>“Annabeth, you have to wake up now.”</p><p>Sanji’s calm use of charmspeak shocked Annabeth enough to wake her from her nightmare. Khione and Percy were locked in fierce combat in front of them.</p><p>“They’re pretty evenly matched,” said Leo, impressed.</p><p>He was right. Every time that Khione tried to freeze Percy, the son of Poseidon would turn into water before reforming in Khione’s blind spot. Yet every time Percy would attack with Riptide, Khione would turn into a blizzard.</p><p>“My haki isn’t doing anything,” said Percy, frustration evident on his face.</p><p>“Fool,” Khione sneered, “I am not a Logia user; my power is REAL.”</p><p>The Goddess of Snow roared and before he could blink, Percy was encased in a block of ice too large for even him to phase out of.</p><p>“Percy!” cried Annabeth.</p><p>Sanji wriggled furiously, “If I could just get out of these stupid chains.”</p><p>“You’re a demigod now, Sanji,” said Annabeth, never taking her eyes off Khione, “And that’s celestial bronze. Unless you’ve got a key or a really hot blowtorch, those aren’t coming off.”</p><p>“Did someone ask for a really hot blowtorch?”</p><p>While Percy and Khione fought, Leo had been creeping, unnoticed, away from the pile in which he’d been tossed with Sanji, Annabeth and Percy. Now that he was far enough away, Leo burst into flames, melting his chains easily.</p><p>When the fire user clashed with the goddess of snow, the combination of his heat and her cold was so intense it gave Annabeth a headache.</p><p>“Hey hothead! We’re still tied up over here!” shouted Sanji.</p><p>But fighting Khione was taking all of Leo’s concentration. Every time he got close to Annabeth and Sanji, or to Percy in his block of ice, Khione would up her attacks and Leo was forced to back off and defend, else risk Annabeth and Sanji either getting charbroiled, flash-freezed or both.</p><p>“We can’t keep this up,” Sanji realized, “Leo’s fighting a goddess; without backup, he’s going to wear out soon.”</p><p>Sanji looked at Percy, frozen in place, “And he can’t stay frozen for much longer.”</p><p>“Normally I’d agree with that,” said Annabeth, “But Percy’s good with the cold; it’ll take more than a block of ice to kill him. As for Khione, she’s not supposed to be here at all. I take it you met Poseidon on Fishman Island?”<br/>“Yeah…?” Sanji said slowly.</p><p>“Like Poseidon, Khione’s powers are greatly weakened here on the Four Seas,” said Annabeth, “But unlike Poseidon, Khione is a minor goddess. Her power was considerably weaker to begin with. Leo may not be able to keep this up, but neither can Khione.”</p><p>“So it’s a question of who gives out first,” Sanji surmised, “And right now, my money’s on Leo.”</p><p>Annabeth bit her lip. She wanted to yell at Sanji, but she had to agree with his assessment; Leo wasn’t doing so hot. Literally. His flames were flickering lower and lower. Meanwhile, Khione’s blizzard kept getting larger and larger. Finally, Leo stumbled and hit the ground.</p><p>“You thought you could beat me, Valdez?” she sneered in that horrendous, Quebecoise accent, “I am a goddess! You are just a spec of nothingness that would be lucky to find itself underneath my boot, you insolent little-,”</p><p>Khione gasped as if someone had punched her in the stomach, “No…not yet. I need more time.”</p><p>The Goddess grasped wildly at thin air, desperately trying to reach Leo, but her body was turning to snow too quickly. Sanji and the demigods watched as the Goddess of Snow turned into a blizzard and scattered into thin air, uttering one final curse at Leo before her voice disappeared for good.</p><p>Leo staggered over to Annabeth and Sanji, “Am I awesome, or what?”</p><p>“Brilliant,” said Annabeth, eyeing Leo wearily, “But are you ok?”</p><p>Leo gulped and sank back to the ground, “Everything’s spinny-just gimme a second.”</p><p>“Maybe I can help with that.”</p><p>“Law!” Sanji exclaimed, “What are you doing here?”</p><p>“Rescuing you!” said Chopper.</p><p>
  <em>Room</em>
</p><p>With a flick of his hand, Law transported Percy outside of his block of ice.</p><p>“Whoah,” Percy stumbled before regaining his footing, “Where’d Lady Snowcone go?”</p><p>“Leo torched her <em>podex</em>,” Annabeth said proudly, “Now can you give us a hand?”<br/>Law produced a celestial bronze key from the sleeve of his long, winter coat and set to work freeing first Annabeth, then Sanji.</p><p>“Not that I don’t appreciate it,” said Sanji, rubbing his wrists, “But why are you helping us, Law?”</p><p>“It’s a long story,” said Chopper, “We’ll explain on the way. Percy, Leo, are you alright?”</p><p>With a small grunt, Percy heaved Leo onto his back, “Just peachy.”</p><p>“I’d kill for an enchilada,” Leo groaned, “With lots of meat.”</p><p>“He’ll be fine,” said Annabeth, eyeing Law suspiciously, “If Chopper trusts you, then we will as well.”</p><p>Law’s frown deepened, “We’re about to take on Caesar, if doctor-san and the scrawny one aren’t at full strength, we should do something about that.”</p><p>“Scrawny…?” Leo muttered feebly into Percy’s ear.</p><p>“There, there,” said Percy, “I’m sure Calypso loves it.”</p><p>Leo gave him a stupid grin before flopping against the back of Percy’s head.</p><p>“He just defeated a god,” Percy explained to Law, “I can tell you from experience that that takes a lot out of a guy. He’ll be ok in a little bit, but if you really want to speed things up, Nami usually carries some ambrosia on her.”</p><p>Sanji patted down his pockets and Annabeth had to fight not to clobber him for how happy this simple action made him. Finally, he pulled out a small baggy full of ambrosia.</p><p>“Is this it?” he held the bag up to the light to inspect it, “They look like brownies. Can I try one?”</p><p>“NO!” everyone except Chopper shouted.</p><p>Sanji dropped the bag in alarm, “Whoah! Why the hell not?”</p><p>“It might work in Nami’s body,” Annabeth started, “But that’s a chance you really don’t want to take.”</p><p>“It’s the food of the gods,” Percy explained helpfully when Annabeth wouldn’t continue, “We can eat it and it heals us, but if mortals try to eat that their bones will turn to ash as they spontaneously combust.”</p><p>“Right,” said Sanji, edging away from Leo, who was being spoon-fed ambrosia by a reluctant Annabeth, “No God food; got it.”</p><p>“Scary!” Chopper wailed.</p><p>“We’re wasting time here,” Annabeth decided, marching up to Law, “You’ve been claimed?”</p><p>“Yes,” he said in a hint of a surly tone, “By Athena.”</p><p>Annabeth didn’t even miss a beat. She strode out of the room, “Then you and I have a lot to talk about. You can fill me in on the way to…”</p><p>Percy laughed. Annabeth hated not knowing where she was going.</p><p>“Just follow Chopper,” Law drawled, “I have an errand to run.”</p><p>“Right,” said Chopper, “The plan. Follow me, guys!”</p><p>“Wait a second,” Percy protested, “If we’re allies now, shouldn’t we stick together?”</p><p>“Let him go,” said Annabeth, “We have more important things to worry about right now, but Law,” she fixed him with a hard look, “You and I are due for a talk.”</p><p>“Sure,” Law waved her off, slipping through a door on the other end of the room, “Just don’t die first.”</p><p>“You heard the man,” said Percy, “Let’s get out of here.”</p><p>“LEAD ONWARD TO NAMI-SWAN!” Sanji cried, jogging after Chopper.</p><p>“Having fun yet?” Percy asked Leo cheerfully. All Leo could do was glare at the back of Percy’s head.</p><p>“Just get moving, Kelp Head. I don’t wanna be stuck in here any longer; the memory of the ice princess is gonna give me brain freeze.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the pieces come together</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>“Law.”</p><p>“Annabeth.”</p><p>“Was getting yourself, Luffy, Robin and Franky stuck in a cage part of the plan?”</p><p>“…not necessarily.”</p><p>The demigods (plus Sanji and Chopper) gathered in a huddle underneath a large, iron cage suspended several hundred feet above them.</p><p>“Luffy!” Sanji called up to them, “What are you doing? Bust out, already!”</p><p>“I’m trying!” Luffy whined. The demigods and the miscellaneous Strawhats had to strain to hear him; the cage was so high up that the wind barely carried Luffy’s voice to where the others were standing.</p><p>“The cage is seastone,” Law told them, “I can’t cut seastone.”</p><p>“And what are we doing about that?” asked Sanji, pointing at the wave of purple growing ever closer.</p><p>“Breaking the others out then running like Hades,” said Leo, “It’s gotta be what made all these corpses.”</p><p>“Can you break us out?” Law asked Leo.</p><p>“Not without burning you to a crisp,” said Leo, “Percy might be able to though.”</p><p>Annabeth glanced at her boyfriend’s tensed back. Percy didn’t seem to hear a word the others were saying, leading Annabeth to realize exactly what he was doing.</p><p>“He’s busy,” she said at last, “The purple wall must be poison; he can keep it at bay for a bit, but we should hurry.”</p><p>Sanji cracked Nami’s knuckles, preparing to jump up to the cage, “I got this.”</p><p>Annabeth jabbed a finger at the giant hologram of a piece of candy behind them, “And anyone know what that’s about?”</p><p>“The candy’s somewhere else on the island. When the purple thing hits it, it’s supposed to explode and spread poisonous gas all over the island,” said Law.</p><p>“Effectively killing all of us,” Annabeth finished, “Poseidon’s pistons, this is bad.”</p><p>“Hey, it stopped snowing,” Leo said anxiously as Sanji, Luffy, Robin, Franky, Law, Smoker and Tashigi dropped to the ground, “Why’d it stop snowing?”</p><p>An inhuman roar filled the air.</p><p>“What the hell was that?” demanded Sanji.</p><p>Percy, who up until now had been focused on holding back the poison, pointed at said poison, “That thing did it.”</p><p>“Can you get rid of it, doctor-san?” asked Law.</p><p>“Gas is… harder than liquid poison,” Percy grunted, his eyes closed in concentration, “The purple thing ate the candy. Now it’s gas. Like Annabeth said…all I can do is slow it down a little.”</p><p>“Caesar is watching,” Robin informed them, “So is the rest of the world. He’s got transponder snails broadcasting our every move to a live audience.”</p><p>Annabeth cursed, “We can’t show our hand that easily. We need to get inside without anyone seeing.”</p><p>“Scrawny one,” said Law, “Can you set that ship over there on fire?”</p><p>“Still working on that one, creepy dude,” said Leo, “Gimme like half an hour; I can’t do more than light a candle right now.”</p><p>“Leave that one to me!” Franky said proudly. Before anyone could register what he was doing, Franky shot a fireball from his mouth at the shipwreck. Smoke billowed forth, blanketing everything in a grey haze.</p><p>“Smoke screen,” said Annabeth, clearly impressed, “Nice.”</p><p>“Traffy!” Luffy said impatiently, stamping his feet in the snow, “I wanna go find Zoro and the others!”</p><p>“I’d like to go keep the Sunny safe,” said Franky, “Robin, you coming?”</p><p>“Sure,” Robin said easily, “That ok, Traffy?”</p><p>Law sighed, defeated, “Fine, go do what you want. Not you, Strawhat,” he said, grabbing ahold of Luffy as Franky and Robin took off into the air, “Your boyfriend and your crewmates will be fine; we have a job to do here.”</p><p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>Even while stuck in the body of one of the strongest of her crew, Nami had never felt so powerless.</p><p>“Master!”</p><p>Pale, sweaty, giant children staggered and stumbled towards the ‘master’, moaning for candy, and Usopp and Nami were helpless to stop it. Nami screamed herself hoarse at children who weren’t listening and the ones who couldn’t listen, but in Sanji’s body, her voice meant nothing.</p><p>It was just as useless as she was.</p><p>Nami scowled at the gaseous man towering over them like a bad dream, “You’re a despicable man. Where is our captain?”</p><p>“I made him suffocate!” Caesar laughed, “Just as I’m about to make you suffocate!”</p><p>Nami clutched at her throat and sank to her knees as Caesar sucked all the oxygen out of the air. She felt as if she’d been punched in the gut and choked all at the same time. Usopp collapsed, and Nami knew that in a body with the lungs of a smoker, she would soon follow.</p><p>“I will bring candy to all the good boys and girls who crush these pirates with rocks and pipes,” Caesar said gleefully. Nami watched, helpless from the ground as the poor, helpless children shuffled at her like zombies, clutching rocks and pipes that would surely crush her and Usopp if she didn’t do something.</p><p>“Mom,” she gasped. She hated asking Aphrodite for anything, but she was desperate, “Give me a way out of this.”</p><p>She closed her eyes as Sind held a rock over her head. It was too late.</p><p>“CAESAR!”</p><p>Brownbeard, who was very much alive, stood over them with his own pipe. With another roar, Brownbeard swung his pipe through Caesar’s vaporous form. Suddenly, Nami could breathe again.</p><p>Caesar chuckled as he reformed into a red, churning mass, “Shirourourou, who were you again?”</p><p>“Strawhats!” shouted Brownbeard, “I’m sorry it took me so long, but now I see the light.”</p><p>“Shirourourou,” said Caesar, “Oh that’s right; I remember now.”</p><p>He turned to the children, a fake, tortured look on his face, “Children! It’s not safe here! You must go quickly to the gas balloon waiting outside; I will join you as soon as I take out the trash.”</p><p>“Nami, let’s go after the kids,” Usopp said urgently as Brownbeard threw himself at Caesar again.</p><p>“Thank you,” Nami whispered to Brownbeard, and also to her mother, as she and Usopp sprinted out of the lab. They’d barely cleared the entrance when the entire lab exploded.</p><p>“Aaaahh!” Nami screamed as the blast knocked her and Usopp into the snow.</p><p>“Do you think he’s ok-,” Usopp barely got a chance to ask this before two solid hands wrapped around Usopp and Nami’s throats.</p><p>
  <em>Gastanet</em>
</p><p>The explosion threw Nami through the air. Sanji’s head hit something hard and metal.</p><p>Darkness enveloped Nami before she had a chance to blink.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Jason and Percy find some wheat</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>P.E.R.C.Y. J.A.C.K.S.O.N.</p><p>
  <em>When she met him, Piper couldn’t help but compare Percy Jackson to her boyfriend. Of course, she preferred Jason; there was a certain air of wild delinquency to Percy that made her uneasy. She could see why Annabeth liked him though. Percy kept Annabeth mellow while Annabeth helped Percy focus. As the daughter of the love goddess, Piper knew the two were perfect for each other. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Then there were Percy’s powers. He told the rest of the Seven how while they’d been building the Argo, Hera had sent him to a mysterious sea somewhere off the coast of Japan in order for him to get stronger.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Piper wouldn’t fully understand what that meant until she witnessed Jason and Percy face off in a wheat field in Topeka, Kansas.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Stop it!” she cried, attempting in vain to get the eidolons to leave her boyfriend and friend’s bodies, “Leave them alone!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Percy’s head jerked in her direction. His pale face cracked into an evil grin made all-the-more terrifying by Percy’s shark-like teeth, “Piper McLean,” he said in a deep, hollow voice, “You must choose who will die with you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“If you don’t,” the eidolon possessing Jason creaked, “Perseus Jackson will make the choice for you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Instinctively, Piper wanted to protest, to defend her boyfriend’s fighting capabilities. Jason was not weak; he was the son of Jupiter. Jason was the most powerful demigod Piper knew. Besides, they were in a field in the middle of nowhere in Kansas. What could Percy possibly do without the ocean?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yet, Piper had never actually seen Percy fight before. The fight in the forum didn’t count; Piper had had enough problems of her own without needing to watch Percy fight. She knew that Percy was one of the strongest demigods at Camp Half-Blood, but she had yet to see for herself what that really meant.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Too late,” the eidolon in Percy’s body said gleefully, “Now, Jason Grace dies.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A rushing sound accompanied all of the wheat in a five-mile radius shriveling and dying as Percy stretched his hands in the air. Tempest, Jason’s mount, whinnied nervously, but the eidolon controlling Jason held its ground, raising Jason’s sword in the air. Piper’s ears popped uncomfortably at the drop in air pressure as lightning crackled to life across the sky.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But Percy had had longer to prepare than Jason had. Piper watched in reluctant fascination as an enormous, churning mass of water grew ever larger above their heads.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It’s the crops,” Piper murmured in realization as another wheat plant next to her head shriveled and died, “He’s pulling water from the crops.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“One last chance, Piper McLean,” said the eidolon in Percy’s body as it made Percy form the water into hundreds of giant spikes, hovering in midair, “Choose, or Perseus Jackson chooses for you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Go to Hades!” Piper shouted, “And leave them alone!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Percy chucked his spikes at Jason as Piper sprinted in the opposite direction in a vain attempt at ducking for cover. Miraculously missing Jason, the spikes lost their form the second they hit the ground, sending water in all directions. Percy’s water hit Piper like a tidal wave, blasting her and an endless field of crops flat into the ground.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But what eidolonized-Percy hadn’t counted on was Jason’s lighting. At the same moment that Percy threw his water spikes, Jason called forth the heavens, charging the water around Percy with electricity. Piper looked up, expecting to find Percy fried to a crisp, but the lightning didn’t seem to affect him the way it should have. The eidolon in Percy grinned, delighted at this turn of events.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“That was unexpected,” he rasped, “I’ve never possessed a haki user before.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Haki…?” Piper was far too terrified to be confused at this. Water was an excellent conductor; Percy should, by all rights, have been dead. So why wasn’t he?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The eidolon tossed Percy’s sword aside. “Such power. Perhaps I’ll keep this one for myself,” it said as Percy flexed his fingers.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“That wasn’t the plan,” Jason’s eidolon said in a deep, wounded voice, “Gaea will not be pleased.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I don’t care,” Percy’s eidolon said smugly, “With this power, I can keep Gaea away easily.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It dropped Percy into a martial arts stance, “I can certainly kill you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“We shall see,” growled the other eidolon.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Piper watched in horrified fascination as Jason dismounted Tempest and stalked towards Percy like a wolf sizing up its prey. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Blackjack creeping up behind Percy. She wanted to scream at Blackjack to fly away because she finally understood what the eidolon meant; Percy was dangerous. Piper shuddered to think of the eidolon wielding that kind of power.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jason rose his sword above his head and brought it down at Percy’s skull, only for Percy to roll expertly out of the way.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Fishman Karate,” the eidolon in Percy says in a mocking tone, “Karakusagawara Seiken.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Piper watched in horror as Percy punched at the air and Jason went flying ten, fifty, one hundred feet through the air, hitting the dirt with a deafening boom! several heart-wrenching seconds later.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Piper broke into a sprint, hoping, foolishly so, to put herself between the eidolon and her boyfriend.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Mom!” she gasped, still running as fast as her feet would carry her while the eidolon stalked towards Jason, “I’m not strong enough! Please, lend me your power! I can’t lose Jason!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Piper took a running leap and planted herself in front of Percy, “LEAVE PERCY JACKSON AND NEVER RETURN!” she roared.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Aphrodite must have heard her desperate prayer, for at that moment, a dark shadow seeped from Percy’s body, disappearing into the clear, Kansas air.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Percy stumbled, “Whoah…Piper? Where’d Mr. D go?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“There’s no time for that!” Piper said urgently, sprinting towards where she’d seen Jason land, “We need to get Jason back to the ship!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Whatever fogginess Percy may have had after being possessed, he seemed to banish it at once when he and Piper found Jason, smoking and unconscious, at the bottom of a crater.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Oh, Jason,” Piper whimpered, sliding down into the crater to retrieve her boyfriend.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You’re right,” said Percy, “We need to get him back to the ship. Blackjack, can you give us a hand?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Percy’s dark, beautiful pegasus whinnied in what Piper hoped was consent.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“He says he can take all three of us,” Percy translated effortlessly. Somewhere in the less hysterical part of her mind, Piper had to wonder about the usefulness of being able to talk to horses. Percy could pull water out of thin air, make himself lightning-proof and send powerful demigods like Jason flying with his bare fists; talking to horses felt more like a parlor trick than a power.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Blackjack touched down on the deck of the Argo in a circle of concerned demigods, all with their own questions, but Percy had already taken Jason in his arms and dashed towards the galley.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I need Piper and Annabeth,” he barked over his shoulder, “The rest of you, stay out of the infirmary for the next two hours.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Come on,” said Annabeth, grabbing Piper by the wrist and jogging after Percy.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I don’t understand,” said Piper as she and Annabeth caught up with Percy at the door to the infirmary, “What’s he doing to Jason?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Saving his life,” said Annabeth, “Now are you going to help him, or not?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>In record time, Percy had stripped Jason of his tattered shirt and laid him out on the cot nearest the door.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Annabeth,” Percy said urgently.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Right,” Annabeth read Percy’s mind effortlessly, filling up a dish with water and bringing it to Percy.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Piper,” said Percy.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Huh?” Piper said stupidly, “What’s going on?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“That’s not important right now,” said Percy, “I’m assuming I’m the one that did this to Jason, right?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Piper nodded numbly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I need you to tell me exactly what I did to him,” said Percy, “I can feel guilty about it later when he’s safe.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>So Piper told him, in as exact detail as possible, how Percy had thrashed Jason’s butt while barely trying. Gods, Leo would never let Jason live this down, if he found out.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Sounds like a few broken ribs,” said Percy, “and maybe some head trauma.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Piper watched as Percy waved a hand over the bowl of water, guiding it gently out of its bowl to hum at attention at Percy’s hands. Percy took a deep breath and brought his hands to Jason’s temples. When he opened his eyes again, they were glowing with the same brilliant, neon blue light pulsing through the water at Jason’s head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Piper gulped, “…he’s healing him?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Yes,” Annabeth said in a low voice, “He explained it to me once. Percy’s guiding water through pathways of energy in Jason’s body. Water is a source of life; it’s meant to heal.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You said being in water heals Percy…” said Piper, “Is it like that?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Exactly,” said Annabeth, studying Percy with an academic interest, “He’s inverting his power to use it on others.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Incredible,” Piper breathed, “Can he hear us?”<br/>“That, I don’t know,” Annabeth admitted, “The glowing eyes are definitely new. Maybe they’re a sign he’s in a trance?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“No, I can still hear you,” Percy said with a hint of annoyance in his voice, “I need a lot of concentration with head injuries, so if you don’t mind..?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The girls wisely shut up, choosing to sit and watch Percy work. For half an hour, Piper didn’t dare move a muscle, else she break Percy’s concentration. She had a million questions that her inquisitive nature needed answered, like how did Percy learn how to heal? How long had he been practicing it? Why did head injuries need more concentration? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>But those would all have to wait. Piper could see the color gradually returning to Jason’s face. The bruises littering his torso seemed to be fading as well. Whatever Percy was doing, it was working.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>After half an hour, the glow finally faded from Percy’s eyes, leaving them sea green and harrowed once more. With a wave of his hands, Percy returned the water to the small, plastic bowl at his side, and sagged in his seat.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“He’s stable now,” Percy declared, “He should wake up on his own within the next hour.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Finally, Piper let herself breathe a sigh of relief.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Way to go, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth said proudly, “Now, are you alright?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Percy stood and stretched, working out the many kinks in his back, “Fine, I think. My pride is a different story, though.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“W-why?” said Piper, her voice still hoarse with relief, “You kicked Jason’s butt without getting a scratch on you. You even…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Piper’s voice trailed off, unwilling to voice aloud what she was thinking.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“He looked like he was holding back?” Annabeth guessed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Piper nodded wordlessly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Percy stared at the ceiling, looking as if he wished it would spit him into the air, never to be seen again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m sorry, Piper,” he said in a small voice, “I’m sorry that I hurt Jason and I’m sorry that I scared you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You don’t have anything to apologize for-,” Annabeth started hotly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Piper held out a hand to stop her. “Annabeth’s right,” she said kindly, never taking her eyes off Percy, “It wasn’t your fault, what happened to Jason. Something old and evil took your power and used it for itself. And yeah, it scared me a little,” she added, frowning at the waves of despair rolling off Percy, “But that doesn’t change how I, or Annabeth, or any of the others feel about you, Percy. You’re our friend; we know you’d never intentionally hurt us. And unintentionally?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Piper fixes him with a ruthful smile, “I think the six of us combined are enough to take you on, mysterious Japanese training or not.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Percy’s eyes took on a sad, far-away look and he muttered something under his breath in Japanese.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What was that?” Annabeth asked gently. Percy had been teaching her Japanese in their spare time, but Annabeth still didn’t quite have a tight grasp on the language.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It’s nothing,” Percy forced a smile, “Just remembering a friend.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A groan from the bed in between them drove the room to silence. A frown creased Jason’s ice blonde eyebrows as he groaned again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Jason?” Piper tried softly, “You awake?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Uh, maybe?” Jason groaned a third time, forcing his bright, blue eyes to blink sleepily at his girlfriend hovering anxiously by his head, “Weren’t we in Kansas? What happened?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Eidolons,” said Percy, “They possessed you and me. Made us fight to the death to see who’d get to play ‘human sacrifice of the day’.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jason brought a shaking hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, “Ugh, I’m really starting to hate those things.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He looked hopefully at Percy, “Please tell me I’m wrong and you sitting over my hospital bed doesn’t mean that you kicked my ass?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Technically you were both possessed,” Annabeth felt the need to point out, “And once Percy’s eidolon took yours out, Piper forced the remaining eidolon to leave.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Piper’s face cracked into a triumphant grin, “So technically I won, right?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m sorry I hurt you, Jason,” Percy said in a low voice.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jason scoffed, “Hurt my pride is more like it. We should spar for real some time, see who’s really stronger.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Piper wanted to smack Jason upside his newly healed head for being such an idiot. Percy offered him a weak smile, as if he were merely humoring Jason because everyone on the Argo II now knew exactly who would win in a fight. The eidolons had seen to that.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You’re on.”</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which most of the Strawhats reunite</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>
  <em>Nami had once told Luffy that the Marines should never find out about how much he loved Zoro.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Think about Ace’s mom,” she had said, “No one knew who she was. Roger made sure their relationship was kept a secret to protect her and Ace; the Marines will target Zoro specifically if they find out that you’re together.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Luffy had protested hotly that Zoro could take care of himself. In response, Nami had clobbered him with her Climatact and forced him to promise to keep his love for Zoro a secret.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m serious, Luffy,” she had reprimanded him, “It’s not just that Zoro’s dating the captain, either. A lot of people in the world don’t accept two men being in love, and a lot of Marines don’t accept it either. You’re putting Zoro in danger without his permission!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>This made Luffy’s heart hurt and his head spin. He wanted to let everyone know just how much he loved Zoro because Zoro was awesome. Luffy loved all of his nakama, of course he did; Zoro was just special. How could anyone get mad over that? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Oh, Luffy,” Nami had brought Luffy into her arms, “The people in your life that really matter love you and Zoro just the way you are. If you want the whole world to know that you’re with him, I can’t stop you, but that’s a conversation you have to have with Zoro, ok?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Ok, Nami,” Luffy had reassured her, “I’ll talk to Zoro about it.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Nami had soothed his emotions well enough for Luffy to see the merit in her advice. Luffy knew that Zoro could take care of himself, but what was the harm in keeping him a little extra safe?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Because Luffy barely survived losing Ace; if he lost Zoro, Luffy wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to recover.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Yet when Zoro busted through that iron door, bringing the rest of Luffy’s crew back safe from the poison, Luffy couldn’t help but throw himself into his swordsman’s waiting arms.</p><p>“You’re back!” he cried in delight, “And you brought back the others! Everyone’s here now!”</p><p>The others met his enthusiasm with eager cries of his own name. Zoro gave the back of Luffy’s neck a small squeeze, assuring him that he was alright and reassuring himself that Luffy was ok.</p><p>“You ready?” he asked Luffy with a small, giddy grin.</p><p>Luffy beamed.</p><p>“Yeah! Let’s go wild!”</p><p>“YOU IDIOTS!”</p><p>Zoro stood aside sheepishly as Leo led a team of marines in the fastest door repair that the occupants of the lab could hope for.</p><p>A horrible rumbling quieted the room. The door groaned ominously, but Leo’s craftsmanship held well enough to keep the poison out.</p><p>“We should scout around outside,” said Annabeth, “See what’s happened.”</p><p>“LADY ARE YOU INSANE?” the marines saw fit to holler.</p><p>“Even on this side of the world, men see fit to talk over me,” Annabeth huffed in annoyance, “Percy?”</p><p>Percy tapped the door cautiously, “The only reason the poison isn’t inside is because this door is airtight. I can’t get a water clone through it.”</p><p>“I believe I may have a solution to that, Annabeth-san,” said Brook, and before Annabeth had a chance to ask any questions, Brook crumpled into Usopp’s arms as his soul floated through the door.</p><p>“I don’t wanna know,” said Leo.</p><p>“Seconded,” said Annabeth.</p><p>The others didn’t have to wait long before Brook was back.</p><p>“It’s a wasteland out there,” he informed the room, “Were anyone to step outside right now, they would surely succumb to a painful demise.”</p><p>“Now what?” asked Nami, “We can’t leave until the gas dissipates.”</p><p>“What about Robin-chwan and Franky?” asked Sanji, “Did you see them?”</p><p>“They’ll be ok,” Percy said confidently, “If they stay inside the Sunny, the gas shouldn’t hurt them.”</p><p>Percy’s eyes narrowed at the row of guns pointed at him and his friends, “We have our own problems to deal with now.”</p><p>“Problems!” shrieked a stout, brown-haired marine, “We almost died thanks to Roronoa Zoro!”</p><p>“We knew you were careless!” agreed a plump, bespectacled marine, “But this is ridiculous!”</p><p>“Prepare to die, Strawhat Pirates!” declared a bald marine, “You too, Brownbeard!”</p><p>“Blondie and Scrawny,” said another marine, causing Annabeth to roll her eyes and Leo to huff in outrage, “You’re Strawhats too, aint’cha?”<br/>Moving as one, Annabeth and Leo looked hesitantly at Luffy.</p><p>“Of course they are!” Luffy bellowed without missing a beat, “Now let’s go kick Caesar’s ass!”</p><p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>Annabeth decided that of everyone in their ragtag band of pirates, marines, ninjas, demigods, samurais, whatever (seriously, what even was her life?), she trusted all but three of them.</p><p>The first was Kin’emon, for obvious reasons. The misogynistic samurai had tried to kill her the first time they’d met. Annabeth supposed it may be noble to quest for your missing son, but she’d been through too much in her life to trust a man that had yet to earn it. Kin’emon had given Annabeth no impression that he wouldn’t attack her again in the future so no, Annabeth didn’t trust him.</p><p>The second was Sanji. Annabeth knew that Sanji was one of Percy’s closest friends in the crew, but her boyfriend tended to trust people a little too much for the daughter of Athena’s liking. Sanji may have played the role of a hopeless, slightly pervy romantic quite well, but Annabeth knew that the cook was hiding something. Percy trusted Sanji, so Annabeth would have to play along as well. Still, Annabeth planned on sleeping with one eye open for a while.</p><p>Finally, there was her half-brother, Trafalgar Law. Annabeth begrudgingly had to admit that Law was indeed her brother. She may not like his lazy, borderline rude attitude, but his intelligence and stormy grey eyes mirrored her own in a way that reminded her of her brother, Malcolm. Yet brother or not, none of the Strawhats seemed to know anything about Law beyond the fact that he’d saved Annabeth’s new captain’s life during the war at Marineford.</p><p>But Law claimed to know the safest way off the island and away from the gas. Annabeth had little choice but to listen to him. Still, Annabeth would rather not fight alone with him, if possible.</p><p>“Hey, Traffy!” Nami hollered. Law looked at her with an annoyed scowl as Nami slung an arm around Sanji’s shoulder, “Switch us back!”</p><p>Annabeth had to suppress a giggle as, despite Sanji’s protests, Law returned him and Nami to their own bodies.</p><p>“Welcome back,” she greeted the daughter of Aphrodite, “How did it feel, being mortal?”<br/>“Scary,” Nami admitted, “It was scary having all of Sanji’s power and not being able to use it.”</p><p>“If it makes you feel any better, Sanji totally lost control with your charmspeak,” Leo grinned.</p><p>“Hey!” Sanji complained hotly.</p><p>“Luffy lost to Caesar?” Zoro demanded.</p><p>“Yeah, he suffocated us,” Usopp admitted, circling around to cover Zoro’s back amidst a sea of marines, “He sucked the oxygen out of the air. You know how hard it is to fight gas?”</p><p>Annabeth disarmed a big, burly marine with a twist of her wrist and brought the man to his knees with a slash from her sword, “And the yetis knocked you out, right?”</p><p>“Not good,” Zoro grit his teeth, ignoring Annabeth completely, “Really not good. What were those two years even for?”</p><p>“Oi, Zoro…”</p><p>Zoro ignored Usopp in favor of walking in the direction of Luffy, running along the catwalk above their heads, “Luffy!”</p><p>Sanji kicked aside a trio of brave marines that tried getting close, “What’s that idiot doing?”</p><p>A sweep of Percy’s seastone sword made sure that the marines wouldn’t try again, “Who knows, just make sure he doesn’t get himself skewered.”</p><p>“Luffy!” Zoro really didn’t seem to hear anyone else; he was too focused on getting Luffy’s attention, “LUFFY!”</p><p>Finally, Luffy glanced over the railing, “Zoro?”</p><p>“GET A GRIP!” Zoro bellowed, “THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW WORLD! I’M NOT LOSING YOU AGAIN!”</p><p>Annabeth couldn’t help the uncontrollable grin splitting her chapped lips open, “Aww, that’s cute.”</p><p>“Honestly,” Sanji tutted, “He’s being so hard on himself.”</p><p>“Yeah, sorry!” Luffy said with a blindingly confident grin, “It won’t happen again!”</p><p>Annabeth watched in fascination as Luffy threw himself at the guards at the end of the catwalk, his legs spinning like a top, and sent the guards spilling off the catwalk. With one last salute to his crew, Luffy disappeared out of view, Law and the smoke-using marine following behind him.</p><p>“I said be serious!” Zoro called half-heartedly after Luffy, Usopp howling with laughter in the background.</p><p>Chopper jumped up and tugged on Percy’s coat, “Let’s go! I’ve isolated the drug the master gave the kids. We need to go find them and treat them.”</p><p>“Go,” Leo assured Percy and Annabeth, “We’ll hold down the fort here.”</p><p>No sooner had Percy, Annabeth and Chopper left, an obnoxiously loud alarm blared through everyone’s eardrums.</p><p>“What the hell?” Usopp shouted, his hands over his ears, “What is that?”</p><p>“Whatever it is,” Sanji shouted back, “We shouldn’t stick around to find out.”</p><p>“You wanna give me a hand?” Leo shouted at the green dragon that Zoro, Brook and Kin’emon had brought back with them. The dragon nuzzled Leo’s hand as if to say, ‘you are warm, I will follow you.’</p><p>So, with Zoro leading the charge and Leo bringing up the rear on his new dragon friend, the Strawhats began cutting a path through the marines.</p><p>“Out of our way!” Zoro demanded, only for a new, more experienced sword, to block his own.</p><p>“Oh, so the little copycat has made it to captain,” Zoro smirked, “But you’re not really looking for a fight.”</p><p>Zoro ran past Tashigi, leaving his crewmates, who were still trying to understand what he meant, in his wake.</p><p>“No, please go on ahead!” said Tashigi.</p><p>“Thank you! Yohohohoho!” Brook wasted no time in scampering past the Marine Captain, the others, following his lead, jogged ahead.</p><p>“I know I’ve only been a fugitive for, like, five seconds,” Leo muttered to himself, “But are all marines that nice?”</p><p>“Wait!” shouted a hoard of marines, trying desperately to prove Leo wrong.</p><p>“G-5, now’s not the time!” shouted Tashigi, “We have to get out of here! This chamber is about to be destroyed by gas! We have to get to the next chamber right now!”</p><p>“WHAT?”</p><p>P.E.R.C.Y. J.A.C.K.S.O.N.</p><p>Tashigi didn’t have time to mourn her men.</p><p>She didn’t have time to mourn her men because she was too busy saving the men she had left from a <em>dragon</em>, of all things.</p><p>“Down, boy!”</p><p>Tashigi watched in amazement as one of the newer Strawhats, the scrawny, elf-like one, hopped off the dragon’s back, landing lightly in front of Tashigi herself, and took a deep breath, sucking all the fire into his belly with a small burp.</p><p>“Excuse me,” he grinned at Tashigi, “Don’t mind Scratch. He’s a little rough around the edges, but I’ll sort him out eventually.”</p><p>“Scratch…?” she said faintly.</p><p>“The dragon,” the kid explained, “We just met, but once I get a chance, I’ll make sure he stops torching people.”</p><p>“D-Did you eat the Flame Flame Fruit?” Tashigi saw fit to ask.</p><p>“Flame Flame Fruit?” the boy looked puzzled before snapping his sooty fingers, “Oh! Is that one of those Devil Fruit thingies? Nah, lady, my power is <em>au naturel.”</em></p><p>He jabbed a thumb behind him at a crowd of cheering marines with their backs to Tashigi, “Wanna tell me what all the fuss is about?”</p><p>Once Tashigi got a good look at what her men were cheering about, her blood ran cold.</p><p>“Captin-chan! Vice Admiral Virgo is here to rescue us!”</p><p>“Vice Admiral Virgo won’t let any more of us die here!”</p><p>“EVERYONE RUN AWAY!” Tashigi screamed.</p><p>She was too late. The men closest to Virgo fell in a halo of blood.</p><p>“I take it stupid sideburns man is the bad guy,” the kid guessed. He reached into his tool belt and pulled out a hammer that definitely had no right fitting into such a small space, “Hey ugly! What’s with all the food on your face?”</p><p>Virgo studied the boy with interest, “I see the goddess failed to get rid of you.”</p><p>“Stand back, kid,” Tashigi planted herself between the boy and Virgo, “This man is dangerous.”</p><p>“Oh yeah?” the kid slipped out to stand beside her, “Well, so am I.”</p><p>The boy burst into flames, “The name’s Leo, by the way, not kid.”</p><p>Tashigi bit her lip. Leo was an interesting mystery, she’d give him that. Pirate or not, Tashigi knew what she needed to do. She unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Virgo, “Alright, Leo. Can you help me save my men?”</p><p>“A LADY IS CALLING MY NAME?”<br/>Tashigi threw herself to the side just in time for a flaming figure to crash into Virgo. Black Leg Sanji landed gracefully on the ground, straightening his tie before shooting Tashigi a suave grin.</p><p>“Your knight in shining armor has arrived!”</p><p>Leo sighed and extinguished himself, “You know, I think I liked you better when you were a girl.”</p><p>“And you’re already an annoyance!” Sanji snapped back, “Go make yourself useful and protect Nami-swan!”<br/>Leo rolled his eyes, “Whatever, man. More work for you.”</p><p>Without giving him so much as a backward glance, Leo jogged off after the rest of the Strawhats.</p><p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>If it weren’t for the synthetic, giant strength of Mocha and the half-godlike strength of Annabeth and Percy, Chopper wouldn’t have been able to close the door in time.</p><p>Now, the four of them together held the door closed, unsure of what to do next.</p><p>“You’re so brave, Mocha,” Percy reassured the frightened child, “You’re doing such a good job.”</p><p>“Thanks, mister,” Mocha said shyly. Chopper wasn’t sure how Mocha had resisted the withdrawal effects long enough for Chopper and two of the demigods to find her and administer the sedative, but he was grateful nonetheless.</p><p>“Hey, why can’t we eat the candy?” asked Mocha.</p><p>“The candy is what’s making you sick,” Annabeth said bluntly before either Percy or Chopper could come up with a tactful way of explaining the situation to the child.</p><p>“Annabeth!”</p><p>“What? It’s the truth!”</p><p>…meanwhile…</p><p>“Why are you doing this?”</p><p>“Because someone needs to teach you how to treat a lady,” Sanji growled. Tashigi and the remnants of the G-5 had already escaped through the tunnel; Sanji’s stint at biding for time was over. Sanji and Virgo clashed in a blinding display of speed and strength, their legs smashing together like clanging swords. After a particularly strong clash, Sanji backed off.</p><p>Virgo’s eyebrows flew up towards his hairline as a disturbing smile split his tanned face, “I knew you looked familiar. You’re supposed to be dead.”</p><p><em>Hell Memories!<br/></em>Sanji hurried off, leaving Virgo’s unconscious body stuck in the wall, “That’s none of your business, asshole.”</p><p>…meanwhile…</p><p>Zoro would be disappointed in him if he learned that Luffy was surrounded by a wall of fire, once again unable to get to Caesar without being robbed of his oxygen.</p><p>“Whatch’a gonna do about it, Strawhat?” Caesar chuckled.</p><p>“I’M STILL GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!” Luffy roared, charging back at Caesar, only for his fists to meet a shield of snow.</p><p>“Tisk, tisk,” the snow harpy said in a condescending voice as Caesar rushed off to continue his plans, “Kidnapping the master and destroying SAD? That’s a plan worthy of Law, perhaps, but are you ready to carry it out?”</p><p>“Shut up, lady!” Luffy snapped, “Let me through!”</p><p>Monet embraced Luffy in a hug, “Slowly, your heart will freeze.”</p><p>Luffy gasped as the cold seeped through his very being. He was paralyzed, unable to do anything as frost crept across his skin.</p><p>“That’s it,” Monet said gently, “Just let it be. Close your eyes slowly.”</p><p>But just as Luffy was lulled off into an eternal sleep, Zoro’s voice warmed his mind, calling out to him like a lighthouse in a sea of fog.</p><p>“GET A GRIP! THIS IS ONLY THE START OF THE NEW WORLD! I’M NOT LOSING YOU AGAIN!”</p><p>
  <em>Jet Spear!</em>
</p><p>Monet didn’t expect Luffy to be able to resist the cold and was therefore too startled to react when Luffy’s attack sent her hurtling into the wall. When she regained her wits, Strawhat Luffy was gone. In his place was a hole in the floor.</p><p>Monet shrugged and glided off to find new targets. Strawhat Luffy likely fell to his death.</p><p>Somewhere in her mind, Monet realized the many flaws in this logic, but she didn’t care.</p><p>Surely, she could find someone weaker to kill to appease Joker; Strawhat Luffy wasn’t worth the effort.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Mocha makes a decision and Sanji makes some friends</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>P.E.R.C.Y. J.A.C.K.S.O.N.</p><p>One day, while playing with her friends in the Biscuit Room, Mocha came to a horrible realization.</p><p>She couldn’t remember what her mother sounded like.</p><p>Her mother’s kind face was with her every night in her dreams, but it had been so long since she got on that ship and left her family that she couldn’t remember her mother’s voice.</p><p>So now, with her friends chasing after the evil candy clutched tightly in her arms, Mocha used her mother’s face as encouragement to run even faster.</p><p>Because even though she had resisted the urge for the candy, she knew that her friends wanted to see their mommies and daddies again too.</p><p>After what Chopper-chan, the boy with the scary teeth and the girl with the scary eyes had told her about the candy, Mocha knew she absolutely musn’t let her friends have it.</p><p>“Quit being a jerk!”</p><p>“Mocha, give us the candy!”</p><p>“Candy!”</p><p>But now, surrounded by her friends, Mocha was in the pits of despair. Over Doran’s shoulder, Mocha could see Sind and the others charging down the stairs. Onee-chan and the scary-teeth boy were trying their best to hold them back with clouds and water, but Mocha knew that Sind, at the very least, was too strong for that to hold him back for long.</p><p>Looking at the candy, Mocha knew what she had to do. The last thing she saw was Uzu, screaming at her to spit out the candy, and Chopper-chan screaming in desperation.</p><p>“MOCHA!”</p><p>Then, Mocha knew no more.</p><p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>After Mocha swallowed all of the candies, spat up blood and fell down the stairs, the only one not shocked enough to act was Percy. The son of Poseidon, taking the stairs three at a time, launched off the bottom step and scrambled up onto Mocha’s chest.</p><p>“Go!” he barked at Nami, Annabeth and Chopper, “I’ll get Mocha out of her and treat her. You need to lead the other kids out of here!”</p><p>“Mocha…”<br/>“She doesn’t look well…”</p><p>“T-that’s what you get for being greedy!”</p><p>Chopper threw himself at the giant child with a wail, “Mocha!”</p><p>“Chopper, we have to go!” said Nami, “The gas is coming!”</p><p>“SHE SACRIFICED HERSELF FOR YOU!” Chopper screamed at the children, “SHE KNEW THAT THE CANDY IS POISON BUT SHE SAVED YOU ANYWAY!”</p><p>“Chopper, you have to sedate the rest of them now!” shouted Percy.</p><p>An explosion of noise at the top of the stairs rendered any organized plan of escape impossible.</p><p>“Restrain the kids!”</p><p>“Sanji!” Nami said in amazement.</p><p>Sanji led the fleet of G-5 marines down the stairs, barking out orders to help Chopper sedate the children.</p><p>“Sure thing, Black Leg Bro!”</p><p>“Let’s help the kids!”</p><p>“Does a kick to the balls count as violence?”</p><p>“Nami-swan!” Sanji swooned at Nami’s feet, “Annabeth-chwan! You’re ok!”</p><p>“Sanji,” Annabeth greeted the chef, unable to help the smile playing at the corners of her lips. The chef’s entrance with the Strawhats’ sworn enemies was so ridiculous; Annabeth couldn’t help but be amused, “Want to introduce us to your new friends?”</p><p>“I’ll explain later,” Sanji promised.</p><p>10 marines lifted Mocha and Percy up into the air, “Where to, Doctor-bro?”</p><p>“We need to find an examination room!” said Chopper, hopping up to sit beside Percy, “Percy…?”</p><p>“Black Leg Bro, is Earthshaker Bro’s face supposed to do that?”</p><p>Percy’s eyes were glowing again.</p><p>“I need better visualization,” Percy murmured and before anyone could stop him, he pulled some water from the air, sharpened it and made a small incision in Mocha’s chest.</p><p>“Earthshaker Bro’s gone nuts!”</p><p>“Stop him!”</p><p>“NO!”</p><p>The marines flinched at Chopper’s voice, “Tanuki bro?”</p><p>“I trust Percy,” Chopper declared, “We need to get to an examination room so I can help him.”</p><p>“Percy, I’m gonna stay with Nami!” Annabeth called up to her boyfriend, “Help get the other kids somewhere safe!”</p><p>Percy gave no indication that he’d heard her.</p><p>“Nami, can I trust you to keep the kids safe on your own once we get them out of here?”</p><p>Nami blinked, “Huh? Yeah, I guess…But what are you going to do?”</p><p>Annabeth bit her lip. Part of her knew she was going to regret this, but she couldn’t help it. “Someone put Law in that cage. I need to find out who it was.”</p><p>“But you don’t trust him,” Nami pointed out, “And yet you’re willing to go find him and his attacker on your own.”</p><p>Annabeth turned to leave, “Well, now’s the perfect opportunity for him to prove me wrong.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>P.E.R.C.Y. J.A.C.K.S.O.N.</p><p>Go find your friends, Calypso had said. It’ll be fun. I’ll see you when you come back.</p><p>Watching Tashigi fight the harpy in the Biscuit Room all while fulfilling his new job as the Strawhats’ resident Space Heater, Leo decided that his girlfriend needed to reevaluate her definition of ‘fun’.</p><p>“You’re seriously not gonna do anything to help her?” Leo said incredulously.</p><p>Zoro shrugged, “Why should I? She said to stand back.”</p><p>“Huh,” said Leo, “I never pegged you for a feminist.”</p><p>Zoro snorted, “You’ve known me for less than a day and you already have me figured out?”</p><p>Well…yeah. Growing up in foster homes, then fighting monsters on the regular as a teen, Leo had to be able to read people at first glance; it had saved his life on numerous occasions. But like Zoro said, they’d only known each other for less than a day; there was no need to start divulging Leo’s life story just yet.</p><p>The harpy dug her talons into Tashigi’s shoulder, snarling in delight at the gasp of pain her icy powers elicited from the marine.</p><p>“Aaand that’s enough of that,” Leo made to go help the marine, but Zoro was already on it. With a slash from his sword, Monet dropped Tashigi and fell to the ground.</p><p>“I-I- NO!” Monet spluttered, crawling away from Zoro, “You won’t cut me! I’m a woman!”</p><p>“You seem to have a lot of faith in that,” Zoro agreed, giving her a creepy, feral smirk, “But tell me, have you ever met a wild animal that you were sure wouldn’t bite?”</p><p>Leo pondered the question. The obvious answer was no, but Zoro comparing himself to a wild animal seemed a little gauche to the son of Heaphestus.</p><p>Leo cursed his ADHD. While he’d been thinking of wild animals, Zoro had slashed the harpy straight down the middle.</p><p>“I don’t get it,” he said aloud, “Why isn’t she dust yet?”</p><p>“You didn’t use haki,” Tashigi realized, “I was right! You are a misogynist!”</p><p>“D-didn’t u-use h-haki,” Monet said breathily, trying and failing to reform, “I’ll show you!”</p><p>Tashigi slashed the harpy diagonally across the chest. This time, she fell in a hail of blood.</p><p>“Blood, huh?” said Leo, inching closer to inspect the harpy, “So you’re not a harpy?”</p><p>Monet bared her fangs at him, “Of course I am, you imbecile. My Devil Fruit made me more human-like.”</p><p>Leo pulled his Celestial-Bronze hammer out of his pouch, “Then Tartarus is gonna suck for you, snow lady.”</p><p>Leo smacked her over the head and finally, Monet crumbled to dust.</p><p>“W-what was that?” said Tashigi, “What happened to her?”</p><p>“She’s not dead,” Leo assured the Marine, “She’ll be back…eventually.”</p><p>Tashigi put a hand on her hip and huffed, “What’s that supposed to mean?”</p><p>Before Leo could come up with a suitable lie, Zoro had scooped him under one arm, Tashigi under another.</p><p>“What the Hades?”</p><p>“Put me down, Roronoa!”</p><p>“Shut up!” Zoro barked at them, “We need to go!”</p><p>Leo glanced behind them at the wave of purple billowing towards them, “Holy Heaphestus. Lead on, Mr. Wild Animal.”</p><p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>“Any change?”</p><p>Franky turned from the porthole and sighed, “Nah. Sunny’s doing ok, but if we go out there, we’re toast.”</p><p>“It’s a good thing I didn’t try to bloom an eye outside, then,” said Robin.</p><p>Franky crossed the galley to join her on the squishy red sofa tucked into the corner, “Now what?”</p><p>“We wait for either the gas to clear,” said Robin, “Or Luffy to save the day.”</p><p>Franky sank down into the sofa, letting his considerable weight difference tilt Robin onto his lap, “So more of the usual, then?”</p><p>Robin flashed him a coy smile, “I’m sure we can think of some way to pass the time.”</p><p>Franky gave her a feral grin, “Woman, you’re gonna be the death of me someday.”</p><p>Robin got to her feet, “Someday, but not today. Now then, you keep your guitar in here, yes? Why don’t you teach me how to play?”</p><p>“Oi, oi…”</p><p>P.E.R.C.Y. J.A.C.K.S.O.N.</p><p>
  <em> It was a blisteringly hot day on the island of San’iaq. Heat rippled off the dusty concrete roads in shimmering waves, coating everything from the stout, stone buildings to the pale blue sky, to the locals milling about, in a sleepy haze. Law might’ve been able to bear this heat, had his first mate, Bepo, not seen fit to remind him every five seconds of it. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m a polar bear, boss!” Bepo whined, “I’ll die if I don’t find shade!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The tick in Law’s temple throbbed violently. “Fine,” he bit out, “Take the others and find us our provisions.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I knew it!” Bepo cheered, “You hate this heat too! Thanks Boss!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Polar Bear sped off before Law could say anything else, disappearing in a cloud of dust. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“He’s an interesting one.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Law’s attention jerked to the only voice speaking his language. To his left, one vendor selling thick, leather-bound tomes was competing with another vendor selling pungent, green fruits to see who could declare their wares the loudest to the only shopper paying them any attention: a woman in a simple, grey robe. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Your polar bear,” the woman continued, “Yes, I’m talking to you, boy,” she added sharply as Law took a step back, “And no, I’m not here for your head.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Law’s eyes narrowed, “Why don’t you face me then? Prove you’re not a bounty hunter or a Marine.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The woman scoffed and finally, turned to face him, “You are so like your father, you know that?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>After many years spent at sea, most of those on the run from Doflamingo, Law had learned to never show emotion; it was a sign of weakness, and weakness got pirates killed. But those stern, calculating grey eyes studying him as if he were a mildly interesting science experiment were enough to catch him off guard, to say the least. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You knew my father,” he said calmly. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The woman unwrapped her silvery turban to reveal a head of glossy black hair and a face far too pale to belong to a local. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>S</em>
  <em>he tossed him her turban. “Here,” said the woman, “You never know when you’ll need the protection.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’ve already-,”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Better protection than your silly fur hat, boy!” she said irritatedly, “I know you have better brains than that.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Law’s hand drifted to the sword on his back, “How-,” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The woman was at him faster than he could blink. “I’m not going to hurt you, Trafalgar,” she assured the surgeon, “My name is Athena. It’s high time you and I had a chat.”</em>
</p><p>One might think that the day he met his mother would have drastically changed his life, but Law grew up surrounded by drastic changes. Learning he was half-god was certainly surprising, but Law had always been skilled at adapting to new surroundings; it’s what had kept him alive for so long. So several months ago, when he gave his heart to Caesar, Law had written it off as adapting. Gods, everyone would smack his head for being so stupid when they found out that Vergo now had it.</p><p>“Get up, Law.” The pain in his chest was so intense that it melted his senses together in a blend of agony and shame. Through it all, Law managed to glare at the man he once called his comrade. He was rewarded with a bone-snapping hit from Vergo’s stick.</p><p>“Gah!”</p><p>“Is this the best you can do?” Vergo sneered.</p><p>Law growled. Pain or not, he would not be made such a fool. He pulled himself to his feet. “Are you guys frustrated because your scheme is crashing down around you?” he panted defiantly, “This thing must be really important to you.”</p><p>The S.A.D tank loomed ominously over them, stretching up into the dark recesses of the ceiling.</p><p>Vergo smirked and squeezed the object of Law’s stupidity once more, “Watch your mouth, child.” Blinding pain laced through Law’s chest, bending him over in agony at Vergo’s feet. He had to try something, anything.</p><p>
  <em>Room! </em>
</p><p>Vergo sent him flying with a haki-infused kick, knocking his heart out of his hands again. Law hit the rail with a sickening crunch and a howl of pain.</p><p>
  <em>Counter Shock!</em>
</p><p>A small explosion smacked Vergo in the face, sending tendrils of smoke and electricity into the air.</p><p>“I have a message from Joker,” Vergo said calmly as if the attack hadn’t torn a gash in his shoulder, “He said what a waste.”</p><p>“Vergo, you bastard!” A tunnel of smoke barrelled into Vergo, sending him flying back ten, twenty, thirty feet.</p><p>“Smoker!”</p><p>Law didn’t get a chance to say anything to the Marine beyond that before he clashed with Vergo in a stunning display of physical strength.</p><p>“Law, pay attention!”</p><p>It was only thanks to her quick reflexes that Annabeth, who’d appeared out of thin air at Law’s side, managed to avoid getting her head lobbed off by Law’s sword.</p><p>“Easy!” she hissed, “The Marine bought us some time but I don’t think it’s going to last. Here!” She shoved Law’s heart at him.</p><p>“How did you manage that?”</p><p>Annabeth waved the hat in her other hand, “Old gift from mom plus the Marine’s distraction to avoid Vergo’s observation haki. Just hurry up, will you?”</p><p>Warm relief spread through Law as he shoved his heart back into place. He was whole again. Now, he could fight properly. He eyed his new-found sister appreciatively. “Not that I don’t appreciate the help, but I was under the impression you didn’t like me.”</p><p>Annabeth rolled her stormy grey eyes, “Like and trust are different, Law, you know that. Trust is something no one should give out freely.”</p><p>“But you like me?”</p><p>Annabeth unsheathed her sword, “Still haven’t decided yet.”</p><p>Meanwhile, Smoker and Vergo were trading heavy blows in mid-air. Correction-Smoker was throwing everything he had at Vergo while the traitor stood there and smirked.</p><p>“Are you satisfied yet, Smoker-kun?” Vergo sneered. There was a moment of silence. Then, Vergo plowed a haki-infused fist into Smoker’s gut, sending him smashing into the far-off railing.</p><p>“It doesn’t matter if you believe in justice or not,” Vergo continued, “If you’re weak, your values mean nothing to anyone.”</p><p>“He kind of has a point there,” Law heard Annabeth mutter under her breath. Each time Smoker got up again was more spectacular than the last. The devil-fruit user coated the room in plumes of billowing smoke so thick that the demigods couldn’t see the fight in front of them.</p><p>“Gah!”</p><p>“It’s no use,” Annabeth realized as Vergo sent Smoker flying once more, “He’s not going to win, is he?”</p><p>“No,” Law agreed, “But now that I have my heart, I should be able to take Vergo down.”</p><p>“If you can move Vergo over here,” said Annabeth, gears racing, “I can get to Smoker and pull him to safety. You need to seriously distract him though, otherwise his observation haki is going to be a problem.”</p><p>“Understood,” said Law. The Op-Op Fruit user offered his sister his hand, “Don’t die?”</p><p>Annabeth gave it a firm shake, “No promises.”</p><p>With that, Annabeth vanished into thin air.</p><p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>“Percy?”</p><p>Chopper was a proud reindeer, but he knew when to admit that he was out of his league. Take now, for instance. All he could do to save Mocha was spew facts in Percy’s ear on exactly where the poison coiled around Mocha’s organs, how the poison was affecting the young girl and what areas took priority in poison extrication. The stream of toxic purple liquid continued to pour out of the incision on Mocha’s chest in an arc, landing carefully in a metal basin that the marines were monitoring on Chopper’s orders.</p><p>At the center of it all was Percy Jackson, working tirelessly with powers that after two years, Chopper was still puzzling over, to do what Chopper couldn’t. While Chopper knew that Percy needed full concentration, it was still unnerving to get no response from his friend.</p><p>The room gave a loud rumble.</p><p>“We need to move,” Chopper decided, “Mocha is stable enough for transport.”</p><p>“Are you sure, Tanuki-bro?” asked one of the marines.</p><p>Another loud quake punctuated the stale air.</p><p>“If we stay here, we’ll all die along with Mocha,” said Chopper, “Can you carry her again?”</p><p>“You know it!”</p><p>“Percy,” Chopper said more urgently as the marines picked up Mocha with the two strawhats still on her chest, “Percy, you need to close. There’s too much poison in the air to expose an open incision to it.”</p><p>Chopper put a hoof on Percy’s arm and the demigod gasped, the glow fading from his eyes.</p><p>Percy looked around wildly, “Chopper? Where are we going? Why are we moving?” Chopper frowned. Percy was pale, shaking and unable to look Chopper in the eyes.</p><p>“Just close Mocha; I’ll explain on the way.”</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which things get depressing</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>P.E.R.C.Y. J.A.C.K.S.O.N.</p><p>“That didn’t sound good.”</p><p>The hallway shook again. Worried shouts that so far, had been more like background noise, grew closer and closer.</p><p>Usopp gulped, “You’re right.”</p><p>He held up the seastone cuffs that Luffy had trusted him, Kin’emon and Brook to find, “Let’s get these to Luffy, shall we?”</p><p>“Sooner, rather than later,” Brook agreed, “Best if you carry them, though. Yohohoho!”</p><p>Usopp skidded to a halt, “Wait a second! Where is Kin’emon?”</p><p>“MOMONOSUKE!”</p><p>“Kin’emon-san!”</p><p>“Brook, wait!”</p><p>“Usopp-san, please get the cuffs to Luffy-sencho. I will take care of Kin’emon-san.”</p><p>Usopp didn’t get a chance to protest before Brook and Kin’emon had both disappeared around a corner. Usopp wasn’t too worried; Brook could take care of himself.</p><p>But still, Kin’emon had attacked Annabeth when they met, right?</p><p>“He’ll be fine!” Usopp declared loudly, reassuring himself against the din growing ever closer.</p><p>“Caesar!”</p><p>Usopp crept silently to a large steel door at the end of the corridor. He knew he needed to find Luffy, but that voice sounded awfully familiar.</p><p>“Brownbeard?”</p><p> O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>“Sanji-kun, are you alright?”</p><p>Sanji was in front of her, so she couldn’t see his face, but the distinct limp in his step was starting to worry Nami.</p><p>“Never better, Nami-swan!”</p><p>Nami bit her lip. She trusted Sanji with her whole heart. If he said he was ok, then he was ok.</p><p>But still…</p><p>“Nami! Sanji!”</p><p>“Chopper?”</p><p>The hoard of marines that Sanji had left with Chopper and Percy was hot on their heels. They still held Mocha aloft. Nami noted with relief that Mocha’s color had drastically improved since they’d last seen the girl.</p><p>“Up here!” Chopper waved from atop Mocha’s chest, “Where’s Annabeth?”</p><p>“She went to find Law,” said Nami. Something in Chopper’s voice was making her uneasy, so she added, “Where’s Percy?”</p><p>The corridor gave a particularly violent shake.</p><p>Nami saw a mop of black hair at Chopper’s feet and almost tripped, “Percy?”<br/>“He’s having another episode,” Chopper explained, “It’s really bad.”</p><p>Cracks began snaking their way across the floor.</p><p>Sanji swore loudly, “Fucking hell, Percy’s doing that?”</p><p>“His bigger powers require a lot of concentration,” Nami realized, “Remember at the battle on Fishman Island? Percy almost caused another earthquake because he was mad at Hody.”</p><p> </p><p>“And if he’s having a flashback, Percy could kill all of us before he comes to his senses,” Chopper reasoned, “We need to find Annabeth.”</p><p>“Now,” Sanji agreed.</p><p>P.E.R.C.Y. J.A.C.K.S.O.N.</p><p>
  <em>“WHAT? MOMONOSUKE TURNED INTO A SMALL DRAGON?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, but yes.”</em>
</p><p>Kin’emon saw the scrawny fire boy riding a dragon earlier. He’d left him behind to face the poison himself.</p><p>He’d left Momonosuke to die, he was sure of it.</p><p>The wall of poison beckoned him forward.</p><p>Because Oden be damned; if he’d left Momonosuke to die again, so soon after arriving in this new time period, he didn’t deserve to save his country. The others would have to take over for him.</p><p>“MOMONOSUKE!”</p><p>His vision turned purple. The poison wrapped around him in a gentle haze, so why wasn’t he dead yet?</p><p>“Kin’emon-san, are you alright now?”</p><p>The skeleton’s voice was low and comforting in his ear. Kin’emon whipped around, but Brook was nowhere to be seen.</p><p>“Brook! What is this?”</p><p>“I am sorry, Kin’emon-san, but I cannot allow you to kill yourself.”</p><p>Rage boiled in Kin’emon’s gut. He stalked in a circle, but all he could see was poison.</p><p>“You’re doing this!” he realized, “Let me out! I must save my son!”</p><p>“Kin’emon-san,” Brook said sternly, “You can do nothing of the sort if you are dead.”</p><p>At this, some of Kin’emon’s rage fizzled. Much as he hated being in the wrong, the skeleton’s words had merit.</p><p>“Why do you care?” he demanded, “Why do any of you care? What have I done to deserve your help?”</p><p>The air to Kin’emon’s right rippled. Brook’s skeletal face loomed out of the anomaly, looking annoyed.</p><p>“Nothing, now come with me.”</p><p>“What is this sorcery?”</p><p>“Kami almighty, there isn’t time for a lesson in magic!”</p><p>A boney hand shot out of the air and grabbed Kin’emon with more strength than the samurai thought a skeleton ought to have.</p><p>“That itches, bu!”</p><p>O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.</p><p>Never in a million years did Jomei think that one day he’d see Caesar’s full power. Sure, he appreciated Caesar for saving his life, but Jomei was smarter than others gave him credit for. Behind the kind façade, Jomei knew that Caesar was a powerful man. If he did what he was told, Jomei was confident that he’d never have to see that power.</p><p>But this twig of a boy in a strawhat was wiping the floor with the master. Caesar was losing, and badly. His controlled façade had slipped long ago.</p><p>Caesar was humiliated. Everything that he had built on Punk Hazard was crumbling to pieces.</p><p>It was awe-inspiring to watch.</p><p>“Like David and Goliath,” Jomei murmured as Caesar swelled to several times Strawhat Luffy’s size.</p><p>“Caesar’s gonna kill us too if he goes that nuts with the poison!”</p><p> “Don’t worry, everyone.”</p><p>The calm voice from their midst made Caesar’s panicked subjects pause. The long-nosed Strawhat had snuck into their pack, unnoticed, and was watching the battle intensely. Jomei had a feeling that if he hadn’t chosen to reveal himself, no one would have noticed the Strawhat pirate at all.</p><p>“Luffy is the man who will become the Pirate King,” the pirate said tremulously, “He is the kind of man who would never betray his crew. You can count on him.”</p><p>Several of Jomei’s friends shuffled uncomfortably.</p><p><em>Grizzly Magnum!<br/></em>Jomei watched as Strawhat Luffy’s fist swelled to an incredible size, then, blackened with Armament Haki, slammed through the poison and into Caesar. The sound of cracking bones echoed through the chamber as Caesar went flying out the door.</p><p>“Caesar lost,” a voice in the crowd said in disbelief, “The Master <em>lost.”</em></p><p>“That’s what happens when you betray your crew,” the long-nosed one said confidently, “Everyone, Gods, harpies, pirates, abandons you until all that’s left is you and your deciet.”</p><p>He made for the controls to lower the lift to the ground, “Now, if you don’t mind, my captain is expecting a package.”</p><p>“Hang on a second,” said Jomei, “If Caesar is down, why is the building still shaking?”</p><p>P.E.R.C.Y. J.A.C.K.S.O.N.</p><p>In dimly-lit rooms across the New World, powerful pirates watched as Strawhat Luffy pummeled Caesar Clown into submission.</p><p>“Mama will want to know about this.”</p><p>“That brat’s at it again.”</p><p>“And is anyone really surprised? But look at <em>that.”</em></p><p>The screen shifted to another room in the factory. The remaining Strawhats, along with the children and the G-5 marines had gathered in the one gas-free chamber that remained. Everyone was circled around a small, dark figure on the ground. The figure let out a wail and the camera shook violently.</p><p>“Now that <em>is </em>interesting.”</p><p>“Finally, something entertaining.”</p><p>…meanwhile…</p><p>“Percy, you have to calm down,” Sanji pleaded, hovering anxiously at Percy’s side.</p><p>“You can’t touch him!” Tashigi and Chopper both said sharply as Sanji made to put a hand on Percy.</p><p>“Tashigi-chwan?”</p><p>“I’ve done plenty of work with counseling marines suffering with PTSD,” said Tashigi, “You touching him is going to make it worse. What happened to give him this?”<br/>“We don’t know,” Nami said, frustrated. But then, she looked at Leo, “But you do.”</p><p>Leo’s face was as hard as stone, “It’s not my story to tell,” he said firmly, “Just wait for Annabeth to get here.”</p><p>Right on cue, Annabeth, Law and Smoker came stumbling through the passageway, pulling a cart labled S.A.D. behind them.</p><p>Annabeth locked eyes with Leo and her face fell. The marines parted, silently watching as the daughter of Athena made a mad dash for her boyfriend.</p><p>“Percy,” she said softly, grabbing Percy’s face. His sea-green eyes were dull and unseeing.</p><p>“Annabeth, please.”</p><p>Annabeth looked up sharply. Sanji’s face was white with worry. Nami was sobbing into Chopper’s shoulder. Zoro seemed to be doing his best to shield Luffy from seeing Percy. Usopp and Brook hovered anxiously over everyone, trying in vain to draw the frightened children’s attention away from the scene in front of them.</p><p>“Percy, do you see?” she tried for a smile, “Your friends are here. Everyone’s ok now.”</p><p>She brushed a silent tear off his too-pale face. Gods, she missed his tan; they’d have to work on it on their next adventure. Maybe Annabeth could persuade Luffy to take them somewhere with a beach? Percy would like that; she knew he would.</p><p>She kissed him fiercely, “I love you.”</p><p>Percy looked at her again and with relief, Annabeth knew that he could see her once more.</p><p>“Annabeth?”</p><p>“Ok, people!” Leo said bossily, “If you aren’t a Strawhat, back up! Go find something to do!”</p><p>“If Jackson is alright,” Smoker said gruffly, “Then why is the room still shaking?”</p><p>“Luffy, where is Caesar?”</p><p>Luffy pointed down the dark corridor, “Somewhere over there,” he said vaguely, “I sent him flying.”<br/>Law felt his favorite nerve twitch again, “You idiot, we’re supposed to capture him!”</p><p>Luffy groaned, “But why?” he whined, “I don’t wanna anymore!”</p><p>Nami couldn’t help but giggle at the look on Law’s face, “Forget a plan worthy of Athena, you need a plan that’s Luffy-proof.”</p><p>“Get over it, Law,” Annabeth scolded. She hauled Percy to his feet. The son of Poseidon was half asleep from exhaustion, but still, Annabeth managed to hold him up, “Just go get him. He can’t have gone too far.”</p><p>“Everyone get in the cart!” Luffy called cheerfully, “We’re getting out of here!”</p><p>…meanwhile…</p><p>“Ugh, I can’t move.”</p><p>Caesar had never felt more humiliated and bruised in his life. Who would’ve thought that such a runt of a pirate and a failure of a marine could take down a man of his caliber? One of these days, Caesar would get his revenge.</p><p>Or maybe…</p><p>“Shirourourou, I still have Smoker’s heart,” Caesar chuckled maliciously, rifling through his coat pocket, “If I’m going to hell, you’re coming with me, Smoker-san.”</p><p>All he could pull out of his pocket though, was a pile of gold, slightly sticky, dust.</p><p>“What is this? Law tricked me!”</p><p>The sound of whirring machinery brought Caesar out of his rage. Some giant, metal monstrosity with a drill for a blue head stomped to the edge of the destroyed ship and fixed the gas-gas user with its cold, yellow eyes.</p><p>“Eh? What are you doing here?”</p>
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